As always, the Green Bay Packers’ training camp session on Sunday has resulted in a handful of takeaways ahead of the new campaign. One of the things that stood out centered around one of Green Bay’s incoming second-year offensive linemen Rasheed Walker, who appears to have taken a significant leap in coach Matt LaFleur’s rotation for 2023.
Rasheed Walker Moving Up Packers’ Depth Chart
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Mike Spofford of Packers.com pointed out that as of Sunday, Walker appears to have taken over the role of David Bakhtiari’s primary backup at left tackle. While it was Yosh Nijman who owned this role last season, the fact that Wallace was playing with the No. 1 offensive line on Sunday seems to indicate that he has now moved up in the depth chart. Bakhtiari sat out on Sunday while Nijman was shifted to right tackle.
For his part, however, Walker is just keeping his head down as he waits for his opportunity. He knows that he’s put in the work this summer, and he’s now looking to reap the rewards:
“I had a chance to get in shape, get everything together this past offseason,” he said. “I really paid attention to my diet. Just tried to eat cleaner, not so late at night, just stay disciplined with my diet. That helped a lot.”
Rasheed Walker Spills on Tough Love From Packers OL Coach Luke Butkus
Matt LaFleur has a good set of coaches working under him in Green Bay. One that stands out from the bunch has to be offensive line coach Luke Butkus, who has been known for having a strong voice in practice — both literally and figuratively.
Walker himself has been through his fair share of experiences under Butkus, particularly when he was starting off as a rookie last season. While some players might not appreciate Butkus’ tough love approach, Walker admits that he doesn’t mind it at all:
“It’s always love,” Walker said. “I try to always just take the message, not the tone. I’ve always been coached pretty hard.”
This young man obviously has his head in the right place, and given the strides he’s taken of late, the future does seem bright for Rasheed Walker.
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