David Walker Excitement = Rueben Bain Excitement
August 6th, 2026
Bucs GM Jason Licht was at it again.
It’s hard for Buccaneers Ring of Honor general manager Jason Licht to contain himself when he talks about second-year edge rusher David Walker, the 26-year-old who has yet to take a snap in a professional game.
Joe enjoys Licht’s excitement, though it is borderline odd.
Walker blew his knee out 13 months ago and has returned with a vengence in training camp. Daily, he shows up positively. Joe can’t say Walker looks like a starter, but he sure doesn’t play like many sad edge rushers that have circulated through One Buc Palace.
Speaking on The Drive on WDAE radio today, Licht was asked about Walker after gushing about how rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain has been everything the Bucs sought and more.
Licht explained Bain has been a model of work ethic, dedication and aggression, a combination that’s made him the clear leader of the 2026 draft class. And Bain’s fellow rookies are following his example, Licht said.
Despite all the hype surrounding Bain, the Bucs’ first-round pick, Licht says Walker is moving the needle just as much at One Buc Palace.
“You know, I talked about Bain before, but I would say the [internal] level of excitement is on equal plane with David [Walker],” Licht said.
“I know that [Walker] was an ‘animal’ during rehab. That’s the word that kept coming up when talking to the trainers how things were going. ‘Freak,’ just ‘passionate, devoted,’ all those things. And he is one hell of an athlete. I know that he is more excited to be out here in pads than any of us were to see him in pads. So, knock on wood, we’re off to a great start right now with a combination [of our edge rushers].”
Joe is rooting for Walker, but Joe also is trying to be realistic.
Walker is undersized at a tick under 6-1, and he’s got to find snaps to take from Al-Quadin Muhammad, a free agent newcomer who had 11 sacks for Detroit last season. Bucs fans know how much Todd Bowles loves to use Anthony Nelson, and starter YaYa Diaby plays a huge percentage of snaps. Bain, of course, is sure to be a full-time player.
Barring injuries, Walker will have to make his mark in a hurry to crack the lineup.
Licht seems aware that he’s a Walker cheerleader. He joked that when he talks about Walker, he no longer can say, “but we haven’t seen him in pads.”
Licht said he’ll now have to say the Bucs haven’t seen Walker yet in a game.
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August 6th, 2026 at 5:26 pm
It sure seems like with all the new additions on defense….we should be much better.
It may depend on how well our CBs perform. Certainly, we have a stronger line and set of LBs.
August 6th, 2026 at 5:32 pm
hopium is a he ll of a drug
August 6th, 2026 at 5:35 pm
Encouraging!
August 6th, 2026 at 6:15 pm
Hopium is a lot of fun for some of us fans. And the best part is it is perfectly legal.
Go Bucs!! :>)
August 6th, 2026 at 6:22 pm
AQM, Diaby, Bain, Nelson, Walker, CB. Could be a deep group this year.
August 6th, 2026 at 6:26 pm
I’m not getting excited for ANY edge rushers. Never again. You can thank Broderick Thomas, Keith McCants, Eric Curry, Noah Spence, JTS……and a kajillion other over-hyped non-pass rushers who strolled through One Buc Place.
August 6th, 2026 at 6:30 pm
Yeah WiilieG, def feel you. Waiting for the regular season to start before I hype any of them up. Leeroy Selmon, and then a bunch of crap after that as far as drafting edge rushers. We are cursed at drafting that position.
August 6th, 2026 at 6:32 pm
Brasswell. I keep saying this: no more David Walker talk until he actually plays a regular season game and gets an actual sack. Thanks!
August 6th, 2026 at 6:33 pm
Seeing is believing!! 😯
August 6th, 2026 at 6:39 pm
Say David Walker balls out, like 15 sacks. Can he win rookie of the year since he didn’t play last year?
Would he win comeback player of the year even though he never played before?
August 6th, 2026 at 6:40 pm
Hopefully he’ll give some quality rushes coming off the bench.
August 6th, 2026 at 6:42 pm
Shades of braswell hype shoukd be an interesting season
August 6th, 2026 at 6:46 pm
Seattle won the Super Bowl because of defensive line depth and fresh legs.
I really like our depth this year at OLB and MLB.
Walker is à cannonball.
I’m excited to see Bain step inside and David Walker rush next to him at OLB.
They look like clones of each other.
August 6th, 2026 at 7:10 pm
Can he play the run or is he going to be a 3rd down guy ?
Really rooting for the guy 👍🏼