The Washington Commanders are filling out their defense via free agency, adding a linebacker to help shore up a group that was the NFL’s worst defense in 2023.
The Commanders signed former Atlanta Falcons and Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Mykal Walker on April 2. Washington already made a big move toward helping its defense by hiring Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to be its new head coach on Feb. 24.
Walker spent his first three seasons with the Falcons after they drafted him in the fourth round out of Fresno State in 2020 and played eight games for the Steelers in 2023, where he started five games and had 33 tackles.
Walker has shown a knack for making big plays and producing big numbers in college and the pros.
Walker, 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, spent the first two seasons of college at NCAA Division II Azusa Pacific before transferring to Fresno State for his final two seasons. With the Bulldogs, Walker was a two-time All-Mountain West selection and MVP of the 2018 Mountain West Conference Championship Game.
In his first two seasons with the Falcons, Walker played in all but one game with only eight starts and had 80 tackles — he also had a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown in a 29-21 win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 14.
Walker finally got his chance to show what he could do in 2022 for the Falcons when he started 12 games and had 107 tackles, 2 interceptions and 4 tackles for loss.
Commanders Had Worst Defense in NFL in 2023
The Commanders were the worst defense in the NFL in 2023, finishing last in team defense, last in passing defense and 27th in the league in rushing defense.
Walker will be counted on to add depth to a linebacking corps that already made a big move by signing free agent linebacker Bobby Wagner, who Quinn coached when he was defensive coordinator of the Seattle Seahawks.
“(Wagner) is all that I love about football,” Quinn said on SiriusXM NFL Radio on March 29. “He’s a tackler. He’s aggressive, he’s tough, he’s smart, he takes care of himself. So what I’m hopeful to see, and I’m certain it will happen, is he’s a multiplier. Because ‘This is how the standard is. This is how I operate. This is the process to go through.’ So, if you’re a young linebacker being around somebody, this is the exact type of linebacker you’d want to be around.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
