Getty Tracy Walker before a Lions game vs. Indianapolis.
The Detroit Lions have a player in Tracy Walker who is heading toward free agency a confident man, and after a career year, that makes perfect sense.
Walker established a career-high in tackles during 2021 with 106, and looked like an elite option at safety. All of that means he could be primed to find a solid home in free agency, and could be one of the top players at the position.
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Most believe that to be the case, but Walker was somehow strangely not included in a piece at The Athletic ranking the 75 top free agents. That came as a surprise to many including their staff writer Chris Burke, but it is clear that Walker doesn’t really care about the rankings or need them as validation for his own career.
As he explained on Twitter in a response to Burke, Walker isn’t worried one bit about potentially being overlooked, because he trusts his talent most of all.
@ChrisBurkeNFL Don’t need anybody to tell me how good I am 😂😂😂 time will for sure tell like it always does
Obviously, Walker is going to bet on himself this offseason and that’s the smart move given what he has already accomplished to this point in his career. As always, it seems Detroit players and free agents are being consistently overlooked.
Lions Have Big Decision Coming With Walker
The Lions have some big decisions to make this offseason, and they start in the secondary. The team needs to decide what to do with Walker, and decide if bringing him back or looking for another free agent on the market is the best choice for the team. At safety, Walker had a career year in 2021 with 108 tackles, but both he and Dean Marlowe are free agents. Will Harris played up and down as well, meaning the Lions could elect to start over at the position with another free agent player or potentially a new draft pick.
This offseason, Walker has talked about his belief in the Lions and their new coaching staff. As a result, it’s possible that he might be willing to stay, but money is always going to be the element which talks the most in this scenario.
Walker’s Stats & Highlights
In his Detroit career, Walker has been solid since being a third-round draft pick in 2018. His first season in the league, Walker managed to put up 21 tackles and 1 interception. From there, though, he has only taken on a bigger role and managed to play a more meaningful role for the team’s defense. In 2019, Walker bounced back and put up his best season to date, with 103 tackles and 1 interception. In 2021, Walker had another solid year with 108 tackles, 1 sack and 1 interception. As a whole, Walker has put up 318 tackles, 3 sacks and 3 interceptions. Here’s a look at some highlights:
Walker is a free agent in another month, so it will be interesting to see whether or not the Lions elect to bring him back and if he returns. He isn’t lacking for confidence as the next chapter is set to begin, however.
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