There are a few positional groups on the Green Bay Packers that have a chance to make a real impact during the 2023 season. While the roster overall is young and inexperienced, there is a lot of untapped potential and talent on the team. One of the players who fit that bill is linebacker Quay Walker.
A first-round pick out of Georgia in 2022, Walker stepped into a huge role with the Packers right out of the gate. He played in all 17 games, starting 16 of them, and played 82 percent of the snaps, being on the field for 846 plays.
The production was solid, as he recorded 121 total tackles, five tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and four quarterback hits. He also had seven passes defended as he excelled in pass coverage as a rookie.
For him to take that next step, he will have to improve in the run game. His grades in that area weren’t nearly as impressive and developing in that regard would help take the Packers’ defense to another level. His co-star as an off-ball linebacker, De’Vondre Campbell, could also stand to improve in the running game.
Campbell was an All-Pro in 2021, which earned him a five-year, $50 million deal from the Packers during the 2022 offseason. He failed to produce at the same level, but recently revealed it was because of injuries that he didn’t tell anyone about.
Now healthy again, Campbell is ready to show everyone that his All-Pro performance in 2021 wasn’t a fluke. The Packers are certainly hopeful that is the case and Bucky Brooks of NFL.com believes it to be true as well.
Brooks put together the best combos at 11 key positional groups in the NFL ahead of the 2023 season. He is a big believer in the Packers duo of Walker and Campbell, ranking them as the No. 2 off-ball linebacker tandem in the NFL behind San Francisco 49ers stars Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.
That is a lofty standing for Walker and Campbell, who should only improve in their second season playing alongside each other. With a year of experience under Walker’s belt and Campbell healthy, they can help elevate the Packers’ defense to another level if they play up to their potential.