Getty Tracy Walker celebrates with his Lions teammates.
The Detroit Lions chose to make another big internal re-signing, reportedly inking safety Tracy Walker to a rumored new deal on Monday, March 14 which will keep the cornerstone player with the team for the next three years.
Walker has been seen as an important piece for the team, so his return is a big deal for the Lions, who are looking to build around some home grown talent for the future to keep the core of their roster intact and strong for the future.
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After news of the Lions bringing back Walker surfaced, several young defensive backs wasted no time sharing their excitement over the return of one of the best players on the back end. Detroit defensive back AJ Parker simply responded saying he loved the news.
Detroit cornerback Jerry Jacobs offered a bit more analysis of the move personally, saying he was proud to see Walker come back given what he learned from him.
“So proud of this, man taught me so much, happy to be back with my guy!!!!,” Jacobs tweeted after the news was revealed.
Walker has taken on the look of a defensive leader for the Lions, and it’s clear that the young players appreciate him and his guidance in a big way. They are happy to see him staying around for the future and not leaving in free agency this year.
How Walker Fits Into Lions’ Defensive Plan
Even though many folks might believe the Lions could be done at safety, that might not be the case. The team could be looking for a player to pair with Walker to help make their back end even stronger. Early rumors held that the Lions could be interested in signing safety Marcus Williams of New Orleans. In addition to Williams, the Lions could look at the position in the 2022 NFL draft, perhaps by selecting Notre Dame safety Kyle Hamilton. The safety class in the draft is also deep, with Daxton Hill, Jaquan Brisker, Lewis Cine and Jalen Pitre some of the top names available. In free agency, other players exist outside Williams including Jabrill Peppers, Marcus Maye, Rodney McLeod and plenty of others.
After returning, it’s clear Walker is a huge piece the Lions want to build around on the back end. He joins cornerback Amani Oruwariye as a cornerstone the team hopes to grow stronger with in the future.
Why Walker Will Return for Lions in 2022
After some solid years with the team since joining during 2018, the Lions want to see more from Walker as a developmental piece, and clearly have liked his fit within their new defense. Last season, Dan Campbell praised Walker in the middle of the year, and he only continued to play well from that point on. Walker has admitted that he might not mind a return to the Lions either, which could be something that the team decides to use as motivation to get a deal done.
If the Lions elected to move on from Walker this offseason, they would have had to patch yet another massive hole on defense at safety. Not only is Walker a free agent, but Dean Marlowe is as well. Without either of them, the Lions would have to shop for multiple players in free agency in order to fill the void when they could feel they have a capable player in Walker who is already adjusting in the scheme. The player might additionally feel some major comfort already in Detroit given it’s where he has started his career and developed so far. That obviously lead to Walker himself craving a chance to stick around.
During the 2021 season, Walker put up some elite stats with 108 tackles and 1 interception. He will get a chance to run those numbers back and do even more this coming year.
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