By Jordan Long
NFL training camps are set to open later this month. This will be the beginning of the season for teams with the goal of winning the Super Bowl in February. There is one player who isn’t on a current roster who hopes to be on one during camp or sometime this year, tight end Delanie Walker.
Walker has 14 years of NFL experience. He played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Tennessee Titans. He was with the 49ers from 2006 to 2012. Walker was never involved in the passing game that much. His top season for the 49ers was in 2010 when he caught 29 passes for 331 yards but didn’t catch a touchdown pass. With the 49ers he had 1,465 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns.
In the offseason of 2013, Walker was a free agent and the 49ers decided to let him go. He agreed to a contract with the Tennessee Titans on March 12th, 2013. It was for 4 years, worth $17.5 million, and an upgrade from the 49ers that paid him a base salary of around $502,000. He flourished in that contract and became one of the best pass catching tight ends in the NFL. Walker never ended up with less than 500 yards receiving. His greatest season to this point was in 2015 when he totaled 1,088 yards and 6 touchdowns. Tennessee liked what they saw from Walker and agreed to a contract extension with him on July 27, 2018.
Unfortunately, Walker didn’t live up to the Titan’s expectations. He suited up in 8 games from 2018 to 2019. He dealt with a dislocated ankle in 2018 which only let him appeared in 1 game. He was shut down for the rest of the season. In 2019, Walker played in 7 games but was still not 100% dealing with the ankle injury. He ended up catching 21 passes for 215 yards. Walker was a free agent in the 2020 offseason. He decided not to play due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Walker thinks he can play but his ankle is still a question mark. According to MSN.com, Walker said, “My goal is just to try and get in the best shape I can possibly get in because I know that opportunity is going to come where someone is going to need a tight end for training camp, and that’s where my opportunity is going to come. But for right now, I couldn’t tell you who I will be playing for or what teams are looking at me. They talk to me, but at the end of the day I feel like they think that the ankle is a problem, and my age, so teams are really not trying to give me a good deal I feel like. We’ll see what happens in a time of need, when they really need a tight end.”
Walker might have a chance to play this year at age 36 but he will turn 37 in August. It could be well into training camp before teams call him. Teams are set with their tight ends right now. Maybe when a tight end is injured he would get a call to workout and see if he is a fit. Walker might be in demand. A year off from football may give his ankle more time to heal. The only way Walker would know for sure is when he takes that first hit or two and is able to get up and jog back to the huddle or the sideline. Walker has something to prove. The only question mark is can he play at a high level? Hopefully, a franchise will give Walker a chance to continue his football career.
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