Indianapolis Colts middle linebacker Anthony Walker suffered a concussion in practice on Wednesday.
Walker, who played three seasons for the Northwestern University Wildcats, was drafted in the fifth round by the Colts in 2017. He was recognized as an All-American by both the Associated Press and Sports Illustrated during his time at Northwestern.
In 2017, Walker played in 10 games for the Colts, and started in two of them. However, he played in just 115 defensive snaps, and recorded 8 tackles on the season. He is expected to play a bigger role in the Colts new defensive scheme this coming season if healthy.
According to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, Walker was carted off the field on Wednesday. He was in attendance at practice on Thursday which is a positive sign for both him and the team.
Concussions are a tricky injury to put a time frame on for recovery. However, he should be fully recovered in time for training camp in late July.
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If Walker is not ready to practice in July, the Colts have many players who could step into his spot.
This includes veteran middle linebackers like Antonio Morrison and Najee Goode, and rookie middle linebackers like Matthew Adams and Zaire Franklin. While the Colts’ roster is full of linebackers, not many of them are proven to be starter quality.
New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus will hope that the Colts’ linebackers are better than they have been for the past decade.
The switch back to a 4-3 defensive scheme may be just what the team needed. If the defensive line is able to pressure the quarterback, the linebackers can focus on stopping the run and helping in pass coverage.