CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – In January as he cleaned out his locker, linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. expressed his desire to return to the Cleveland Browns.
“I [would] love to be here, I love Cleveland. I hate moving, packing up and moving,” Walker said on January 9. “That's one of my pet peeves.
But it'll be exciting if I'm able to be back here.”
Walker’s wish came true last week after he agreed to terms on a new contract. He officially re-signed Wednesday morning.
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Walker, a leader on and off the field, saw his second year with the Browns cut short last season after he suffered a torn quadriceps tendon in his left leg during a 29-17 win over the Steelers on September 22, 2022.
“Football is my passion. I love the game,” Walker said in January. “I've been playing it since I was four years old. First time ever not playing for such a long period of time. So it definitely hurt, but definitely gave me a different perspective and newfound love of the game.”
Walker’s presence on the field was missed the remainder of the season as the defense struggled against the run along with communication which resulted in Joe Woods being replaced by Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator.
“Football is never perfect,” Walker said when asked about Woods’ dismissal. “Defensive football definitely is never perfect, but you want to have as much execution as you can and we just didn't execute well enough.”
This will be Walker’s seventh NFL season.
The Indianapolis Colts’ 2017 fifth-round pick has started 63 of the 73 games he’s played amassing 469 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 15 pass breakups, seven QB hits, 4.5 sacks, three interceptions, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.