As a pass rusher and more, Packers hope to fully utilize Quay Walker’s versatility

As is the case with most rookies, the 2022 season was filled with inconsistency for Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker.

Walker was a starter in the middle of this veteran-heavy defense from Day 1. He led the team in total tackles with 115, according to PFF, and made some plays on the ball in coverage as well. His athleticism showed up weekly with his ability to move sideline-to-sideline, adding a new element to this Packers’ defense.

However, he took his lumps as well, particularly as a run defender. Although Walker did improve in this capacity as the season progressed, for much of the year, poor run fits, misdiagnosing where the play was going, and not getting off blocks were common occurrences. In general, it looked like there was hesitation from Walker, which slowed him down and limited his playmaking ability.

Between Walker’s growing pains and Campbell dealing with a knee injury along with taking a step back from his 2021 All-Pro season, the dominant linebacker play never materialized.

"“Up and down,” said Packers linebackers coach Kirk Olivadotti when asked about Walker’s rookie season on Wednesday. “I think there was a consistent growth throughout. It wasn’t like he would learn something and then unlearn it. I don’t think that was the case, so that was very encouraging.”"

What Walker also brought to this Packers defense was versatility. While most of his snaps came as a traditional linebacker, with Green Bay short on impactful edge rusher depth following Rashan Gary’s injury, Walker took snaps as a pass rusher. He was also used often when Joe Barry sent blitzes and even took some snaps from the slot and at free safety in specific situations.

"“He did a lot of different things for us last year,” said Olivadotti. “The biggest thing is how all of his skills are going fit into this defense because every year, it’s a new team and picture every year. So how it’s going to fit into this defense, it does give you a versatile tool to play with, and he’s very willing and learns it, wants to know, so that’s very helpful.”"

Clearly, Walker has the ability to impact a game in multiple ways, and the Green Bay coaching staff agrees. But before he can take on more consistent responsibilities, as Olivadotti said, they first need to figure out who the 2023 Green Bay Packers defense is while also making sure that Walker can handle his core duties well before adding more to his plate.

"“It’d be easy to say, ‘Hey, let’s use all of them at once,’ but you also want him to be good at what he’s good at and just add things to that to supplement what we need,” added Olivadotti. “It’s kind of a moving target until you figure out exactly what you are. I think I have a sense of who we are, but you always want to see do it on the grass a bit more.”"

Year one to year two is oftentimes where most successful NFL players make the biggest developmental jumps. The familiarity with the playbook and their positional responsibilities really sets in, and things begin to slow down. As already mentioned, we may have already seen this taking place with Walker towards the end of last season.

If Walker can make that leap, it will allow the Packers to then maximize the versatility that he brings to this defense. What exactly that looks like at this time remains to be seen from the outside looking in, but I would expect it involves continuing to use Walker as a pass rusher, where his speed can really stress offensive linemen. When pass rush coordinator Jason Rebrovich was asked about the team using Walker in that capacity, he simply replied with, “yes.”