CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Linebacker Anthony Walker’s season is over.
An MRI Monday revealed Walker suffered a torn quadriceps muscle that will require surgery and he was placed on injured reserve Friday afternoon.
Walker was injured with 10:44 remaining in the third quarter of Thursday night’s 29-17 win over the Steelers and an air cast was quickly applied to his left leg before he was carted off the field.
“When you see the attention on the field, obviously it didn't look good, I think that's obvious,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “We're hoping against hope for Anthony. Talked to him last night. He's a huge, huge, huge part of our football team, what he brings to us on the field and off the field. So we'll see what the MRI holds.”
Walker landed face down after being blocked then Steelers right guard James Daniels appeared to inadvertently step on the back of Walker’s leg around the knee. Almost simultaneously, Steelers right tackle Chukwuma Okorafor jumped on Walker, throwing his weight on the linebacker, but the officials did not throw a flag for a personal foul.
Trainers rushed out to tend to Walker before he was carted off a few minutes later.
Stefanski did not indicate he or the team would send video of the play into the league office for review.
“I’ll let the league handle that,” Stefanski said.
With Walker likely lost, Jacob Phillips, who came on Thursday night, would replace the veteran.
Walker, also voted a defensive captain, wore the green dot on his helmet, meaning he had the radio communication device. Phillips shared those responsibilities and is in line to take them over.
“He does a nice job of communicating,” Stefanski said of Phillips. “The two plays he made late in the game with the blitz and the sack and the PBU—you wish you could put 12 guys out there for the defense and we listed him as a starter with Anthony early because those guys, I really think they're both capable of starting.
“With Anthony out likely, Jacob goes in there and we have a ton of confidence in him. If he plays like he played [Thursday] night I think he can really affect the game.”
Walker had seven tackles, four tackles for loss and two passes defensed in the three games he started.
The news was much better for Browns linebacker Jeremiah Owusu Koramoah, who suffered a groin injury a few plays earlier.
Owusu-Koramoah also underwent an MRI Monday but a source said that there was “nothing too concerning” revealed with the test.