The Washington Commanders’ defense was a disaster last year, ranked 31st by EPA per play. Just a year after making the NFC Championship game, they stumbled to 5-12 in what devolved into a lost season. Could signing Packers free agent Quay Walker provide a boost?
The main reason for the Commanders’ implosion, of course, would be the multiple injuries to quarterback Jayden Daniels. The success of the 2026 season, and indeed any success in Washington’s near future, hangs in the balance of his health.
But even a healthy Daniels wouldn’t be able to overcome a defense as disastrous as last season’s. The team has to start somewhere, and ESPN analyst Matt Bowen believes Walker would help.
Washington could use Walker’s youth and athleticism
Specifically, says Bowen: “With veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner also hitting free agency, Walker could fill a need for the Commanders. After posting 128 tackles with the Packers last season, he has the traits to fit really well in Dan Quinn’s defense. Paired with Frankie Luvu, Walker could be set up on pressures, and he has the second-level speed to track the ball or close throwing windows. Washington would get younger and faster on defense with this move.”
Bowen’s 13th-ranked free agent overall, Walker is coming off a polarizing fourth and final season on his rookie contract in Green Bay. The production is there: his tackle counts clarify that. On the other hand, Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the worst linebackers in the league. Walker’s score of 48.5 put him 74th of 88 at his position.
In free agency, he’ll be due some kind of raise. Market projections tend to be the $8-10$ annual value range. That may not be enticing for the Packers, who have cheaper, perhaps better options anyway (accounting for a 100-snap minimum, Edgerrin Cooper, Isaiah McDuffie, and Ty’Ron Hopper all scored higher.)
In Washington, however, maybe the former first-round pick could find his way as a source of youth and speed. Certainly there is no doubting his athletic gifts. He will still be only 26 after his birthday in May. Consistency and focus, on the other hand, can be an issue. In Green Bay, which has ample young talent on both sides of the ball, it seems more than a 50-50 bet that the Walker experience has run its course.
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