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Anthony Walker

Browns LB Anthony Walker Out For Season

September 23rd, 2022 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

5:45pm: The Browns made the roster move official this afternoon, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network, placing Walker on injured reserve, where he is expected to remain for the rest of the season.

11:52am: Anthony Walker left Thursday night’s game early, and the Browns linebacker will not return this season. An MRI revealed the sixth-year defender suffered a quadriceps tendon tear, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

After initially signing Walker in 2021, the Browns gave him a one-year, $4.25MM deal to come back as a starter. But the team will need to make a long-term adjustment after Friday’s news. This is a tough blow for Walker, who required cart transportation last night and will be set to go through a five- to seven-month rehab timetable.

A 2017 Colts fifth-round pick, Walker has been a starter for the past five seasons. The Colts let him walk in 2021 and doled out record-setting off-ball linebacker money to Shaquille Leonard months later. But Walker made an impact in Cleveland last season. Pro Football Focus rated him as a top-20 off-ball linebacker alongside promising youngster Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Walker, 27, made 113 tackles and notched a sack last season.

This will obviously hurt Walker’s chances of scoring a better free agency deal in 2023. The Browns also saw Owusu-Koramoah leave Thursday’s game; a groin injury sidelined the second-year defender. Jacob Phillips, a 2020 third-round pick, is set to both replace Walker and wear the green dot signifying a communication role, Kevin Stefanski said.

While Phillips has only started four games in his Browns career, he played well against the Steelers. The LSU product registered seven tackles and came through with a third-down sack and a third-down pass breakup during Cleveland’s Week 3 win. This figures to turn into an audition season for Phillips, who played just 123 defensive snaps last year.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/6/22

August 6th, 2022 at 7:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Washington Commanders

  • Activated from reserve/retired list: LB Tre Walker

Weatherly was in line for a rotational role with the Browns this season behind entrenched starters Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney. The 28-year-old was coming off of a sack-less campaign with the Vikings last year, but has 73 games and 17 starts on his NFL resume. In his absence, the Browns will depend not only on another mostly healthy season for Clowney, but also third-round rookie Alex Wright and recent USFL signing Chris Odom in the edge rush department.

Just yesterday, Walker surprisingly ended his NFL career before it began, briefly becoming the second young Commander this offseason to hand up his cleats unexpectedly. Hours later, however, the UDFA changed his mind and asked to be reinstated. Having signed him to his rookie contract, Washington held the rights to the San Jose State alum and were free to bring him back into the fold. He will once again look to make the team’s roster – something he has a decent chance at, given the lack of proven options Washington has down the depth chart at ILB.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/22

July 26th, 2022 at 7:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions, including a handful of notable names landing on the physically unable to perform list and the non-football injury list as teams open up camp:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Released with NFI designation: WR Cody Core

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Browns To Re-Sign Anthony Walker

March 16th, 2022 at 10:22am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have re-signed Anthony Walker. The linebacker will receive a one-year, $5MM deal, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 

Walker, 26, came into the league as a fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2017. He joined up with the Browns last year on a one-year, $3.5MM deal and went on to notch 113 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and a pair of pass deflections. Beyond the traditional stats, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus graded him as the 17th best linebacker in the NFL.

Clearly, Walker was in line for a sizable pay bump. This new deal roughly doubles his last one (one-year, $2.7MM/year), but this still seems pretty team-friendly given his all-around improvement. Walker will now look to improve his run-defense while maintaining his solid pass coverage.

Walker, 27 in August, has 456 career tackles to his credit across four seasons with the Colts and his first with the Browns.

Browns Place RB Kareem Hunt, Seven Others On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 17th, 2021 at 2:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Browns have placed more players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, including running back Kareem Hunt. The team announced that the following players have landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list:

In his third season with the Browns, Hunt has totalled 386 rushing yards and five touchdowns, along with an additional 174 yards on 22 catches in eight games. The 26-year-old has been a key member of the Browns’ backfield alongside Nick Chubb, helping the team average 143.5 rushing yards per game, ranking fourth in the NFL.

The team also announced that offensive assistant coach T.C. McCartney has tested positive for COVID-19. We learned earlier today that the NFL was pushing Saturday’s game between the Browns and Raiders to Monday.

Meanwhile, Cleveland activated linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. from the reserve/COVID-19 list, and they’ve signed quarterback Kyle Lauletta to the active roster off the Jaguars practice squad. Lauletta, 26, has appeared in just two NFL games. Both were with the Giants in 2018, where he went 0-for-five with one interception. He has since spent time on the Eagles’, Falcons’ and Browns’ practice squads, only going to Jacksonville’s after being waived at the end of August.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/9/21

December 9th, 2021 at 3:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/9/21

October 9th, 2021 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Week 5 Saturday’s minor move spree:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted: TE Shane Zylstra

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/6/21

October 6th, 2021 at 5:36pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Arizona Cardinals

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets 

Browns Place Anthony Walker On IR

September 17th, 2021 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns will place starting linebacker Anthony Walker on injured reserve with a hamstring strain (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Fortunately, it’s expected to be a short-term matter, which means that Walker should return in three weeks. 

[RELATED: Browns Work Out Reuben Foster]

Walker started alongside Darius Leonard for three seasons with the Colts. Working as Indianapolis’ primary middle linebacker, he registered 321 tackles from 2018-20 and did not miss a game. He also posted 18 tackles for loss in that span, including 10 in 2018. Pro Football Focus did not grade Walker particularly well last season, slotting him near the bottom of its linebacker hierarchy.

Still, the Browns saw potential in the former fifth-round pick and moved quickly to sign him to a one-year, $3MM deal in March. He should resume his starting role on the other end of this IR stint and can return as soon as 10/10 against the Chargers.

Browns To Sign DL Malik Jackson, LB Anthony Walker

March 19th, 2021 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

After adding two members of the Rams’ starting secondary, the Browns are turning their attention to the front seven. They agreed to terms with defensive lineman Malik Jackson and linebacker Anthony Walker on Friday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Yahoo’s Charles Robinson (Twitter links).

Jackson’s Broncos tenure overlapped with Joe Woods‘, with the current Browns DC having coached Denver’s secondary during Jackson’s stay. The nine-year veteran will come to Cleveland after spending two seasons in Philadelphia. A four-year vet, Walker is Ohio-bound after playing out his rookie contract in Indianapolis.

While Jackson was a starter in multiple schemes in Denver — including in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 look that helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 — he has worked primarily as a 4-3 defensive tackle since joining the Jaguars in 2016. Part of the Jags’ “Sacksonville” defense that pushed the team to the Super Bowl LII precipice, Jackson made the Pro Bowl after an eight-sack season in that 2017 campaign. However, the Jags made him a cap casualty ahead of their rebuild in 2019.

The Eagles signed Jackson shortly after, but he missed the ’19 season because of an injury. Jackson registered 2.5 sacks and logged 13 QB hits for the Eagles last season, returning to play in 15 games. The soon-to-be 31-year-old D-lineman will join a Browns team that just lost Larry Ogunjobi in free agency. Jackson could be in line to team with Sheldon Richardson as a starter in Cleveland.

Walker started alongside Darius Leonard for three seasons with the Colts. Working as Indianapolis’ primary middle linebacker, Leonard’s sidekick registered 321 tackles from 2018-20 and did not miss a game. He also posted 18 tackles for loss in that span, including 10 in 2018. Pro Football Focus did not grade Walker particularly well last season, slotting him near the bottom of its linebacker hierarchy, but the former fifth-round pick brings significant experience to a Browns defense that ranked 25th in DVOA last year.

In addition to the Jackson and Walker additions, the Browns have signed John Johnson and Troy Hill this week. They also re-signed linebacker Malcolm Smith.

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