Under Pressure: DeMarcus Walker is facing a make-or-break year in 2020
Jun 23, 2020, 6:40 AM
The Broncos have had a great offseason in 2020. They made some big moves in free agency, added star talent via trades and then crushed the 2020 NFL Draft. Their roster has been upgraded by a wide margin just based on the elite-level talent that has been added this calendar year.
In this new series “Under Pressure,” I’ll look at some of the players who are most under pressure after the moves in free agency and the draft. The talent added to this roster is going to push some players – maybe even some fan favorites – off the roster.
Today, I’ll examine the situation surrounding Broncos defensive end DeMarcus Walker. Let’s see why he’s under pressure in 2020.
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Background
The Broncos were thrilled to be able to acquire DeMarcus Walker in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Coming out of Florida State, Walker was known as a ‘tweener pass-rusher, meaning he might be too big to play outside linebacker but also too small to play on the defensive line. Regardless of the questions about where he should play, there was no doubt that Walker could get after the quarterback, as evidenced by his 21.5 tackles for loss in 2016.
Walker ranked second in the FBS with 16.0 sacks that year and scouts were excited about his upside in the pros. In addition to posting those great numbers in his senior season, Walker did that while dealing with a left foot injury he suffered that November. The injury required him to wear a boot in between games and it kept him from participating in the Senior Bowl or working out at the Scouting Combine. One could easily say that if Walker had been healthy, performed well at the Senior Bowl and tested well at the Combine, he would have been a first-round pick.
At the time of his selection, I was promoting Walker as a value pick for the Broncos. The first decision the Broncos made about Walker could have prevented him from playing up to his potential from day one. I always felt that Walker should have added weight to play on the defensive line, but that’s not what happened. Instead, the Broncos asked Walker to lose weight, stand up and play outside linebacker in 2017.
As a rookie that season, Walker failed to make much of an impact. He played only 101 snaps at outside linebacker in 2017, finishing the year with just 10 tackles and 1.0 sack. Walker looked out of position and awkward as he tried to rush from a standing position.
The Broncos corrected that mistake in 2018, as Walker was then asked to gain weight and get back to playing his position from college – defensive end. In the final year under Vance Joseph, Walker barely saw the field, playing only 21 snaps and appearing in only three games. Walker ended that year with 1.0 sack, one fumble recovery, two tackles and one assist.
In 2019 under Vic Fangio, Walker had the best season of his pro career – still playing on the defensive line. Walker played 225 snaps across a full 16-game season and finished with 4.0 sacks, 13 tackles, nine assists and one pass defensed. He really seemed like a good fit for what Fangio wanted him to do, which gave the Broncos hope that he could continue to flourish in a good defense at his most natural position.
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The Pressure
Walker is in the final year of his rookie contract, so the pressure comes from within in 2020. Even though he had a career-high 4.0 sacks a season ago, Walker graded poorly on his pass-rushing snaps according to Pro Football Focus. In 126 pass-rush snaps, Walker graded at just 55.9 by PFF while grading at 65.4 in run defense on only 94 run-defense snaps.
I certainly appreciate all the hard work done by PFF, but I don’t agree with his grade on passing downs. While Walker didn’t light the stat sheet on fire, he did perform better than he graded in my opinion. Walker did show his quick get-off when the ball was snapped and he certainly showed hustle to get after the quarterback.
Currently on the Broncos official roster, only three players are listed as defensive ends. Walker, Shelby Harris and Dre’Mont Jones have a “DE” next to their name on the team’s website. There are others who have “DL” next to their name, but let’s focus on Jones here as the primary player to put pressure on Walker in 2020.
Jones was a fine pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. I had him as the No. 50 rated player in that draft class, yet the Broncos were able to get him in the third round with the No. 71 overall pick. Not only is Jones a value pick in my eyes, he’s also a favorite of coach Fangio. Jones is faster and stronger than Walker and could even beat out Harris for the starting job. I believe that Jones has greater upside than Harris or Walker. If he convinces Fangio that he can take another step forward in his second year, then we could see the second-year pro from Ohio State become a key defender for the Broncos up front.
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What He Needs to Do
He’s highly unlikely to win a starting job for the Broncos, so Walker needs to prove himself as a reserve/rotational player. Last season was a good year for Walker, and he’s been a team-first guy – even when the team puts him in the wrong position and tried to play him at outside linebacker. Walker has never publicly criticized the team for doing that, and he’s worked diligently and quietly behind the scenes.
Some may put the “bust” label on Walker since he was a second-round pick and has made little impact. Fans also will note that the Broncos had a different draft strategy in 2017, as evidenced by the other players picked in that draft – and the player picked in the first round that year, left tackle Garett Bolles. The Broncos used to draft on potential and not on production, but that philosophy has changed. However, as noted earlier in this article, Walker did have the production to match the potential.
He should have never been stood up to play outside linebacker. Imagine where Walker would be if he had played at defensive end all three years, learning from legendary defensive line coach Bill Kollar the entire time. Instead, Walker has been jerked around by the old staff and has yet to fully play up to his potential.
Perhaps Walker may only be a rotational player in the pros and not worth the draft capital the team spent on him. However, that type of player has value and Walker could end up proving that value to the team with a new contract next offseason.
