Unfortunately for Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker David Walker, his season ends before it even really began. The promising fourth-round rookie out of Central Arkansas suffered a torn ACL in practice on Friday and will now have season-ending surgery. Of all the FCS players who were drafted relatively high this past spring, few were as widely praised as Walker for his ability to rush the passer.
This comes in the extended wake of star left tackle Tristan Wirfs being out for the first few weeks of the season with his injury. Tampa Bay is still the team to beat atop the NFC South, but rivals Atlanta and Carolina are coming. With head coach Todd Bowles expected to take a more hands-on approach to fixing the Buccaneers' defense this season, he will now have to do it without the skill set of Walker.
Coming out of Central Arkansas, Walker's production spoke for itself. He may have played at a lower level of college football, but he was absolutely dominant for the Bears. With half the league being undrafted, it is not necessarily about how you enter the league, but can you make the most of your opportunities. Sadly for Walker, he will have to wait at least another year to show his worth in the NFL.
Ari Meirov was all over the news of Walker being out for the season with a torn ACL suffered in camp.
#Bucs rookie OLB David Walker suffered a torn ACL during Friday’s practice and will undergo season-ending surgery. The 4th-round pick out of Central Arkansas had been showing a lot of promise early in camp. pic.twitter.com/mTroyady2a
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) July 28, 2025
The Buccaneers are an incredibly strong team, but there are only so many playoff spots to be had.
David Walker's absence will be felt by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' defense
Right now, I am in the process of projecting every team's win/loss totals ahead of the 2025 season. I have Tampa Bay winning around nine-to-11 games. The Atlanta Falcons, who completed the season sweep of Tampa Bay last year, is right at their pace, or just a tick behind it. While the Carolina Panthers may win upwards of nine games, the New Orleans Saints are not going to be a playoff team this year.
Do I think losing Walker for the entire campaign is going to sink the Buccaneers' season? I sincerely doubt it. However, little does become big over time. Walker may have been a mid-round pick out of an FCS school, but he was expected to make quite the impact with this year's team. Factor in that the Buccaneers will be ushering in another new offensive coordinator and you can sense the frustration.
Overall, Tampa Bay should be fine without Walker for the duration. The best thing the Buccaneers have going for them is they have a top-tier general manager in the sport in Jason Licht calling all the shots when building up this roster. We also know that Bowles is a proven head coach and Baker Mayfield is a proven quarterback. This team also has many veterans with so much playoff experience.
Losing Walker for the season is not the end of the world, but it could help a rival team overtake them.