Anthony Walker Jr.

Anthony Walker Jr.'s Biography

Anthony Laron Walker Jr. was born on August 8, 1995, and is now a renowned player in the National Football League (NFL), currently serving as a professional football linebacker for the Miami Dolphins. He has made a mark in American football since he started playing in college for Northwestern. His professional journey began when he was selected by the Indianapolis Colts during the fifth round of the NFL draft in 2017.

Walker began making a name for himself during his redshirt freshman season, when he filled in for Collin Ellis, who was sidelined due to multiple injuries. His first career game saw him returning an interception for a touchdown against Penn State, which clinched a Northwestern victory. Progressing forward, his first full season as a starter was phenomenal, as he made a whopping 122 tackles – the highest on his team – and 20.5 tackles for loss which secured fourth place across the nation. In light of his extraordinary performance that season, Walker received All-American recognition from renowned organizations like the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated, and was also on the First-team All-Big Ten Conference honors. On November 29, 2016, he bagged the Second-team All-Big Ten.

The Indianapolis Colts selected Walker during the 2017 NFL draft, with an overall 161st ranking and the 20th linebacker drafted in 2017. Following this, the Colts signed a four-year contract with Walker on May 11, 2017, amounting to $2.66 million and with a signing bonus of $265,413.

Walker had to miss the team activities initially due to Northwestern’s quarter schedule and the NFL rules, which did not allow the rookies to join their team until the final semester of their school had concluded. Walker faced stiff competition from Sean Spence, Antonio Morrison, Jon Bostic, and Edwin Jackson to become a starting inside linebacker as training camp progressed. However, Head coach Chuck Pagano named Walker as a backup inside linebacker in the beginning of the regular season, standing behind Bostic and Morrison.

His professional debut in the regular season came about in the Colts’ season-opening match against the Los Angeles Rams. Unfortunately, he sustained a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the match that led to the Colts losing 46-9. This injury kept him out of the game for the next three weeks (Weeks 2-4). In Week 5, he further aggravated his hamstring injury during the third quarter of the 26-23 win against the San Francisco 49ers, which led to him sitting out for the next three games (Weeks 6-8).

Walker’s first starting match came about on December 29, 2017, when Jon Bostic was declared inactive due to an injury. In this pivotal match, Walker made a season-high nine combined tackles despite the Colts losing 23-16 at the Baltimore Ravens in Week 16. Despite him finishing his rookie season in 2017 with 22 combined tackles (11 solo) in ten games and two starts, Pagano was let go from the Colts when they finished the season with a rather disappointing 4-12 record.

In 2018, the Colts employed the former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator, Frank Reich, as their new head coach and Matt Eberflus as the defensive coordinator, who decided to switch the base 3-4 defense and implement a base 4-3 defense. Walker was once again pitched against Najee Goode to be the starting middle linebacker, but suffered a groin injury during the first week of training camp, which sidelined him for the rest of the training camp and all four preseason games. Despite the setback, Reich named Walker as the starting middle linebacker for the 2018 regular season, alongside outside linebackers Najee Goode and rookie Shaquille Leonard.

Walker proved his mettle in the weeks to come, with nine combined tackles in Week 2 against the Eagles after his first career interception off a pass by quarterback Carson Wentz. He continued this impressive performance throughout his seasons, making notable contributions in matches against the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Houston Texans.

In the following years, Walker faced a series of injuries that led to him being placed on the injured reserve multiple times, including times during his tenure with the Cleveland Browns, with whom he had signed a one-year deal on March 19, 2021. Walker re-signed with the Browns twice more on one-year contracts in 2022 and 2023, but his time with the team was also plagued with injuries.

Despite the setbacks, Walker was not one to back down. Proving his evident resilience, he started 12 games in 2023, making remarkable strides with 44 tackles, four passes defensed, and a forced fumble securing his place firmly in the team.

On March 15, 2024, Walker signed with the Miami Dolphins, opening a new chapter in his professional football career. During his tenure with the Browns, he wore the number 4, but surrendered it to Deshaun Watson following a trade in 2022. As a token of gratitude, Watson gave Walker a brand-new Rolex watch, even though Walker had made no such request. Following this gesture, Walker ultimately switched to jersey number 5.