David Walker is making the kind of early camp noise the Buccaneers had to be hoping for after he lost his entire rookie season.
Tampa Bay used a fourth-round pick on the outside linebacker in the 2025 NFL Draft, betting on production from a small, FCS-level program and getting a player who had already flashed enough to earn that investment. Then came the setback: Walker tore his ACL during offseason practices, wiping out his first year before it ever really got going.
Now he’s back on the field, and the early returns in training camp have been loud. The Bucs say he’s looked explosive again, and the message from the building is that he hasn’t spent his comeback quietly easing in. He’s been moving well, playing fast, and showing the kind of athletic traits that made him such an appealing pick in the first place.
Todd Bowles didn’t hide his excitement when asked about Walker’s camp work.
"Just his energy and his athleticism [have] showed up. We didn’t get to see him in pads last year, but to see him out there and the way he moves.
He moves like an inside [linebacker], but he plays outside [linebacker] and he [has] great power. To see him out there playing fast and not worried about his knee is great," Bowles said.
That’s the heart of the story with Walker right now: the athleticism is back, the confidence looks back, and the injury doesn’t seem to be slowing him down. He’s also been positioned to matter right away when it comes to how Tampa Bay sorts out its pass-rush snaps this season.
The praise hasn’t stopped with the head coach, either. Fellow outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad said Walker’s motor has stood out to him.
“He has a motor," Muhammad said. "The good ones, as far as [defensive] linemen and pass rushers, and all that good stuff, they play with a motor, and he plays with a motor.
For his size, he knows who he is and the things that he [does], he [does] well. He’s been having a [great] camp, so it’s impressive.”
For now, being one of the standouts in camp is only part of the job. The real test comes when the contact ramps up and the results have to show up against live competition.
That chance is coming soon. The Buccaneers are set for joint practices with the New York Jets this upcoming week before their preseason opener, which should give everyone a better look at what Walker can bring to Tampa Bay’s defense.
In Other News...
Buccaneers Suddenly Have A Benjamin Morrison Problem In Camp
Benjamin Morrison was supposed to be one of the Buccaneers young cornerbacks to watch, but injuries have already complicated that plan. The second-round pick from 2025 never really got rolling last season, and the same issue has carried into 2026 training camp, leaving Tampa Bay in a familiar spot of having to sort through its secondary without knowing exactly when, or how often, Morrison will be available.
Meanwhile, the competition behind him is not waiting around. Keionte Scott, Damarion Williams and undrafted corner Ayden Garnes have all been putting together strong camp stretches, which only adds pressure to a depth chart that still feels unsettled. For the Buccaneers, the bigger concern is not just Morrisons health in the moment, but what his absence means for his longer-term hold on a role that was supposed to be his to grow into. [Read more 🡒]
Buccaneers Camp Is Creating Early Winners And Losers On Defense
Eight practices into training camp, the Buccaneers are already getting a clearer sense of which young defenders are pushing their way into the conversation. David Walker, Rueben Bain Jr., Josiah Trotter and Ayden Garnes have all turned heads early, giving Tampa Bay some encouraging depth looks as the defense ramps up toward joint practices with the Jets and the preseason opener.
Not every camp story has been a rise, though, and the early grouping of winners and losers is being shaped by availability as much as performance. Benjamin Morrison has been working through a nagging hamstring issue and has slipped behind in the outside cornerback competition, while Devin Culp has also had a tougher time keeping pace. For a team trying to sort out roles before the preseason games begin, those early absences can matter almost as much as the highlights. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Cornerback Depth Issue Is Fueling A Roster Push Fans Should Watch
Training camp depth charts have a way of changing fast, and the Buccaneers are dealing with that reality at cornerback. With Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish sidelined or limited by injuries, Tampa Bay has had to lean harder on the rest of the room, creating more practice reps and more visibility for younger defenders trying to carve out a role.
Ayden Garnes and Damarion "Pepe" Williams have been among the players getting that extra attention, and Williams in particular has taken advantage of the opening. The second-year defensive back already has NFL time with the Ravens and Seahawks, and he has been showing up in camp with plays that stand out to the coaches, which is exactly the kind of response the Bucs need while the position group waits to get healthier. [Read more 🡒]