Joe Walker (born December 11, 1992) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

Oregon Oregon ( , ) is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is a part of the Western U.S., with the Columbia River delineating much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while t ...

and was selected in the seventh round of the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

by the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

. He has also been a member of the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

and

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

College career

Walker led the Ducks in

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

in 2015, having started all but five games since the

2013 Alamo Bowl The 2013 Alamo Bowl was an American college football bowl game that was played on December 30, 2013, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The 21st edition of the Alamo Bowl, it featured the Oregon Ducks from the Pac-12 Conference and the Tex ...

. He collected 203 career tackles in three seasons at Oregon, and 102 more during one season at junior college. He had many dynamic plays on the Ducks' fast-paced defense, including two

fumbles A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful ...

recovered for

touchdowns A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

, one of which was the notorious drop at the 1-yard line by

Utah Utah is a landlocked state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is one of the Four Corners states, sharing a border with Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico. It also borders Wyoming to the northea ...

wide receiver

Kaelin Clay Kaelin Clay (born January 3, 1992) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Utah Utes, earning first-team All-American honors in 2014. H ...

in the Utah-Oregon game on November 8, 2014, which Walker returned 99 yards for an Oregon touchdown.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Walker was not one of the 39 collegiate linebackers invited to the 2016

NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...

, but competed in Oregon's

Pro Day The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

. Walker was a projected to be a seventh-round pick or priority

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...

NFL draft The NFL draft, officially known as the Annual Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the most common source of player recruitment in the National Football League. Each team is given a position in the drafting order in reve ...

experts and scouts. He was ranked the 19th best

inside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the lin ...

prospect in the draft by NFLDraftScout.com.

Philadelphia Eagles

The

selected Walker in the seventh round (251st overall) of the

. He was the 36th and last linebacker selected in 2016. The pick used to select him was a conditional pick that was traded from the

in exchange for

Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the USC Trojans, setting set the Pac-12 Conference season record for touchdown passes as a junior. Due to suffer ...

. On May 4, 2016, Walker signed his four-year, rookie million contract. Throughout

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

, he competed against

Najee Goode Najee Goode (born June 4, 1989) is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football at West Virginia and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He also played with the Ph ...

for a roster spot. On August 18, 2016, Walker tore his ACL in a preseason game against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

, effectively ending his rookie season. On August 28, 2016, Walker was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

. He made his professional debut in the

season-opening 30–17 win at the

Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...

. On September 24, 2017, Walker assisted on one tackle during the Eagles' 27–24 victory against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

. His first career tackle was with

Jalen Mills Jalen Mills (born April 6, 1994) is an American professional football safety. He played college football for the LSU Tigers, earning first-team All-American honors. Mills was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the seventh round of 2016 ...

as they teamed up to tackle Giants' wide receiver Sterling Shepard after he made a 10-yard

reception Reception is a noun form of ''receiving'', or ''to receive'' something, such as art, experience, information, people, products, or vehicles. It may refer to: Astrology * Reception (astrology), when a planet is located in a sign ruled by another p ...

in the first quarter. On October 29, 2017, Walker earned his first career start and made a season-high three combined tackles in a 33–10 win over the

. He was named the starting middle linebacker after Jordan Hicks suffered a torn Achilles and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. During a Week 12 matchup against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

, Walker suffered a neck injury and was placed on injured reserve on December 29, 2017. He finished the season with ten combined tackles (six solo) and a

pass deflection In American football, a pass deflected, also known as a pass deflection, a pass defended, a pass , a pass knockdown, or a pass breakup, is an incomplete pass that is caused by a defensive player. This is done by slapping or blocking the ball with ...

in 12 games and three starts. The Eagles won

Super Bowl LII Super Bowl LII was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2017 season. As a rematch of Super Bowl XXXIX from 13 years earlier, the game was between the National Football Conferen ...

against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

by a score of 41-33. On September 2, 2018, Walker was waived by the Eagles and was signed to the

practice squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scou ...

the next day.

Arizona Cardinals (first stint)

On September 19, 2018, Walker was signed by the

off the Eagles practice squad.

San Francisco 49ers

On March 24, 2020, Walker signed a one-year contract with the

. He was released on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day. He was elevated to the active roster on September 26 for the team's week 3 game against the

, and reverted to the practice squad after the game on September 28. He was elevated again on October 3 for the week 4 game against the Eagles, and reverted to the practice squad again after the game on October 5. He was signed to the active roster on October 21. He was placed on the team's reserve/

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

list by the team on November 19, 2020, and activated on November 28.

Washington Football Team

Walker signed with the

on May 19, 2021. He was released on August 31, 2021.

Arizona Cardinals (second stint)

On October 13, 2021, Walker was signed to the Cardinals practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on December 21. He was waived on January 11, 2022 and re-signed to the practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cardinals on January 19, 2022. On August 29, 2022, Walker was released by the Cardinals.

References

External links

Oregon Ducks bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Joe 1992 births Living people American football linebackers Arizona Cardinals players Oregon Ducks football players People from Palos Verdes, California Philadelphia Eagles players San Francisco 49ers players Players of American football from Los Angeles County, California Washington Football Team players