How long will the Browns’ Anthony Walker be out for and who will replace him?
With rookie Jacob Phillips set to fill the void, the question now becomes ‘can he cover a LB who was leading the league?’
Despite an all-too important divisional win, the Browns will likely be ruing the loss of one of their key defensive players and so will he.
Browns’ Anthony Walker to miss rest of season
Though they will surely be happy with their win on a windy Thursday night against the Steelers, the Browns’ victory came at a high price. Reports now confirm, that linebacker and defensive captain Anthony Walker will miss the remainder of the season after tearing his quadricep during the game against Pittsburgh. Official word suggests that it will be five to seven months before Walker can take to the field again. A major blow to Cleveland’s cause no doubt.
Regarding how the injury actually occurred, it was during the second half of the Browns’ 29-17 win over Pittsburgh when Walker went down. Incidentally, there was some debate about the play as well as there appeared to be dirty play by Steeler’s Chukwuma Okorafor. At any rate, Walker could be seen in clear discomfort as he was carted off the field. On the other hand, it must be said that Walker’s absence was covered exceptionally well as the Browns were able to limit The Steelers to just one field goal, before posting the game’s final score after Denzel Ward’s fumble recovery in the end zone.
Now that the Browns have lost Anthony Walker, who replaces him?
A fifth-round pick back in the 2017 Draft, Walker started his NFL career with the Indianapolis Colts, where he became a full-time starter on defense during his second season - the same season in which he helped the Colts advance to the divisional round of the playoffs. The LB would spend a further two years with the Colts before signing a one-year deal with the Browns in early 2021. Though he missed his four games through injury, Walker would still go on to register a more than impressive 113 tackles during his first year in Cleveland. At the time of his injury, Walker was sitting on 13 tackles and a league high four tackles for loss. In his absence, the Browns will almost certainly look to 2022 third-round pick Jacob Phillips.