Usually you don’t want to hear any reports about players during this time of year, but Denver Broncos fans got some good news yesterday when DeMarcus Walker tweeted out that he was nearly back to his original playing weight, of 280lbs.
Ya boy weighed in at 272 today, almost back to my normal weight
— DeMarcus Walker (@livinglegend_44) May 10, 2018
Walker spent most of the season well below his normal playing weight, checking in around 240lbs. Some of the change was due to being moved to outside linebacker, and some of it was apparently related to illness as well.
Told you he was having a great offseason.. Dropped to roughly 240 last year after switching positions and a food illness. I have said repeatedly I expect him to bounce back and be a strong rotational player for #Broncos D https://t.co/9qyAUo2Rmj
— Troy Renck (@TroyRenck) May 10, 2018
Walker got ill and lost weight as a result. Injuries occurred and he was moved with his lower weight. At that weight it was felt he would be more effective outside. That was wrong. He put the weight back on and was moved back to his DL role.
— Erick Trickel (@ErickTrickel) May 2, 2018
The experiment with Walker outside is a well documented failure at this point, so I won’t belabor the point, but it seems that Denver is committed to properly utilizing him this year.
“We want him to come back bigger and stronger,” Joseph said at the NFL scouting combine. “Last year, he lost some weight to play outside linebacker. Now, we’re going to make him a defensive end and have a clear role for him so he can be at his best. He came on last year and made some plays for us at the end of the season, but we have to find one spot where he can help this football team and leave him there.”
The goal for Walker this off season was to regain his strength and size, so he can be utilized in his proper position as an interior rusher on the defensive line. It’s great to hear that he is well on his way to being back to full strength. That will make defensive line coach Bill Kollar extremely happy.
I had a chance to speak with Kollar about Walker at the Senior Bowl and he confirmed that he hadn’t seen Walker crack 250lbs on the scale last year, and emphasized the need for Demarcus to really focus on bulking back up in both weight and strength.
Bill Kollar told me at the Senior Bowl that he never saw Walker crack 250lb last year during the season, so this is big, and really encouraging. https://t.co/xN0AFqSjpJ
— Jeffrey Essary (@JeffreyEssary) May 10, 2018
It’s good to hear things are trending up for him. If he is able to continue to progress as an inside pass rusher, with the arsenal Denver is building on the edge, look out!
DeMarcus Walker's (@livinglegend_44) first NFL sack pic.twitter.com/9t2jyjr4O9
— SingleShot ⚾ (@Singleshot25) January 6, 2018
Loading comments...