The Detroit Lions roster is in clear transition at this point in time, meaning there aren’t a lot of players who have a status that’s known for the near and long-term future.
As a result of this, projecting which players need to stick around for the future without a doubt can be tough, but that hasn’t stopped some folks from casting a eye toward future events anyhow. Recently, Bleacher Report tried to think about the future in such a way for every NFL team, and it was a tough experiment when it came to Detroit.
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Writer Brad Gagnon put together this particular list, and interestingly enough, the Lions had a player in Tracy Walker who was seen to be someone that they simply cannot let go in the future.
Explaining why, he wrote:
“The Detroit Lions didn’t give us much to work with here. No key young players are on the verge of contract years, and there are no killer potential cap casualties in sight for 2022 right now.
But safety Tracy Walker was a strong starter with more than 100 tackles in 13 games in 2019, and the 2018 third-round selection looked solid again before a knee injury derailed his 2020 campaign. He is by no means a superstar, but if he’s healthy, it’s easy to buy his proclamation that he’s “going to have a good year” in 2021.
The 26-year-old has room to grow inside or outside of the box and should be worth keeping around beyond this season for a Detroit team that isn’t exactly deep or talented at that position.”
It’s true the Lions don’t have a lot of complicated free agency cases on the horizon, but it could also be true that the team needs to think about what kind of role Walker might have within the defense in the next couple of years. Coming into a big season in 2021, Walker has to put his best foot forward and show well in order to prove why he should stick around for the future.
To some, he might seem indispensable, but the Lions are ripping everything down to the studs in their rebuild.
Walker Loves Fit Within New Defense
Detroit’s roster seems to be invigorated by the moves as well, and as more players who were around for 2020 and before speak, the more it becomes obvious that the team had some significant messes to clean up in more than one way on the field and off.
Safety Tracy Walker only knew the old regime being he was drafted into it, and judging by his comments, he’s happy to have turned over a new leaf with a new staff led by Aaron Glenn, his new defensive coordinator, as well as Aubrey Pleasant his new position coach.
As he said to the media:
“Honestly, first off it’s a blessing to be able to play under this coach and this scheme. I appreciate the knowledge I’ve been learning and the tips these coaches have been giving me. I got with them, and I feel like it’s going to be a good year just off of the way the system is ran and how I’m being treated. I believe, and I’m so happy with everything going on right now, honestly.”
Dan Campbell and company seem to have won over the veteran players in the room, and this only serves to prove what a mess the Lions were at one point the last few seasons. If Walker can come into his own, that would be a huge development for a Lions defense that badly needs to find a new ballhawk at safety.
Walker’s Career Stats
It’s a pivotal season for the young safety given what he has done to this point in his career. Walker has been decent at times for the Lions, putting up 211 tackles, 1 sack and 2 interceptions in his career. Obviously, that isn’t bad, but the team would like to see Walker assert himself more and step up and take command of a starting role in the future.
The hope is Walker can get this done, because the Lions need him to badly. If he does, it’s possible the team won’t want to lose him at all.
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Young Defender Named Player Lions Cannot Lose Next Season