Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie pass rusher David Walker tore an ACL and will miss the 2025-26 season, coach Todd Bowles told reporters Monday.
“He was making a big impact early,” Bowles said. “Obviously, we were counting on him to do a lot of things. But we’ve got other guys that have to step up. I told him he has to look at this as a redshirt year.”
Walker joined the Buccaneers as a fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
He was expected to get reps behind Haason Reddick and Yaya Diaby. Anthony Nelson and Chris Braswell are among the Buccaneers’ other outside linebackers.
Walker was honored as the top defensive player in the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) last season when he earned the Buck Buchanan Award. He totaled 10.5 sacks and an FCS-high 23 tackles for a loss in 2024 at Central Florida.
The Buccaneers will host the Tennessee Titans in their preseason opener Aug. 9 in Tampa, Fla.
