Sack Was A Long Time Coming For David Walker
September 27th, 2026
David Walker finally gets on the field on defense last week, and gets his first sack.
Finally, the hype was realized. If only for a day.
Since 2026 underwear football began, Joe heard over and over edge rusher David Walker was the second coming. Joe had heard similar prognostications about Chris Braswell who was truly a stiff.
As a result, Joe was very much in the seeing-is-believing mode.
Walker looked good this summer — but so did Braswell. So either Braswell had taken the proverbial next step or Walker was the next Braswell.
Uh, oh.
And in Week 1, with the Bucs displaying their typical invisible pass rush, largely because the edge rushers have to do other things, Walker didn’t log a single snap on defense.
Now, wait a minute! You’re facing Joe Burrow, one of the better dropback quarterbacks and Walker is supposed to be the next J.J. Watt, and you don’t bring him in for one friggin’ snap?
Thankfully for Walker, he was used on defense last week in Week 2 and whaddya know, he got a sack! And naturally KitKat-eating Bucs coach Todd Bowles tried to downplay it this week.
“I mean, the sack was great. He’s got some things he’s got to learn, fundamentally, from a defensive standpoint, but he’s come along at a pretty good pace for us.”
Not good enough, apparently.
But as frustrated as Joe is that maybe the Bucs do have a guy who can get valuable sacks but the Bucs aren’t using him, or don’t trust him, Joe couldn’t help but see how much that sack meant to Walker. As a rookie, he blew out a knee before completing a practice in pads in 2025.
“It felt good!” Walker beamed when recounting his sack of weirdo Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Walker told Joe how rough last year was for him.
“Getting hurt last year and not being able to help the team out was kind of hard,” Walker said.
It was Walker’s second operation on the same knee. In high school, he blew out his ACL,too.
Walker says he had a good group of supporters through family and the church he attends back in Arkansas. So they helped keep his spirits high. As a result, Walker dove into rehab and, fueled by his faith, found the light at the end of the tunnel.
That light was this season.
“Man, I leaned into my faith and tried to just work hard to get back to be able to play,” Walker said. “This year, I was able to get in. And I got a chance to showcase what type of player that I am to help the team at any cost.”
And Walker, from a small school, Central Arkansas, demonstrated he can hang in the NFL.
“Yeah, [the sack] it was a big confidence booster,” Walker said. “It showed that I can compete with some of the best in the world.”
With the Bucs having their backs against the wall today, with their season teetering on the brink, if the Bucs really do think Walker can put the quarterback on the ground, there is no responsible reason to not give him snaps today.
September 27th, 2026 at 12:14 am
At a rate of 1 sack for every 9 snaps, if he was made a starter, that pace would give him a 104-sack season.
September 27th, 2026 at 12:22 am
I hate Todd Bowles.
September 27th, 2026 at 1:01 am
He will have a golden opportunity to make a statement Sunday, I hope he makes the best of it. Hopefully Bowles will have him rush Murray, not try to shadow Hockenson in the flat…
September 27th, 2026 at 1:10 am
I can’t wait until they launch Todd. I will celebrate when it happens. Until then, I’ll have to sit and watch this team constantly play down to their opponents.
Let’s face it, this current Bucs team is the tuneup game their opponents had hoped for. It’s gotten that bad.
September 27th, 2026 at 2:14 am
All good Walker you’ll be in pass coverage later today. Can’t frickin believe watching radio again stand in the sidelines sucking
September 27th, 2026 at 5:58 am
Bain is 21. His front lobe hasn’t finished forming. (It will at 26)
David Walker is 26. He’s a full grown man.
I hope David Walker gets another sack today!
He looks like an assassin. I love his body language. He’s angry. He’s hard.
He’s a pass rusher!
Let him eat!
Go Bucs!
F the Vikings!
September 27th, 2026 at 7:31 am
The defensive lineman with the best bend rarely sees the field. Make that make sense. If David walker starts he’s getting 2 sacks today
September 27th, 2026 at 8:29 am
When Walker can cover wide receivers thirty yards downfield while giving them a 10-15 yard cushion he will get more playing time in toad’s defense.
September 27th, 2026 at 8:37 am
Keep in mind, Walker only got nine snaps. I couldn’t see through the radio speaker, but I’d bet half those snaps were in pass coverage.
September 27th, 2026 at 9:31 am
TB. He still has some things to do. I’ve heard that too much. If he doesn’t get some meaningful snaps today, then I’m convinced TB doesnt like him. OK. If he has things to do, then play him. Then he can do those things!!!!
September 27th, 2026 at 10:17 am
Hey Joe, to be fair, the Bucs never spoke about Braswell with the same enthusiasm as they did David Walker. You guys slept on Walker because you didn’t note the differences between the two of them as pass rush prospects. Joe thinks using a second-round pick is unspoken enthusiasm. –Joe
Walker’s sack production in college was off the charts. If you had watched film of him, you’d have seen the hype was legit. The only knocks were small school competition and shorter stature.
Joe hasn’t slept on Walker. Joe is still asleep on Walker. He’s a nice prospect at 26 years old and he’s earned more time. We shall all see what he has. –Joe
As for Braswell, Licht made one statement about him “shocking some people” and you ran with it. He had expectations that Braswell was going to take a big step from year 1 to year 2 (which would have been a shock). Of course, he was wrong.
The comparison between these 2 has always been lazy and lame.
September 27th, 2026 at 10:52 am
Sacks won’t be easy today. The line and OLBs will need a lot of gap discipline. I am not a Murray fan but he is quick and slippery.
September 27th, 2026 at 12:49 pm
Murray’s not good