Darwin Jamar Walker (born June 15, 1977) is an American former professional football player who was a defensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.
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| Position: | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | June 15, 1977 Walterboro, South Carolina, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 294 lb (133 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Walterboro | ||||||||||||
| College: | Tennessee | ||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 2000 / round: 3 / pick: 71 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
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| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Walker has been a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Chicago Bears. He now works for Fox 29 in Philadelphia as a pre and post game analyst for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is also on the board of directors for Pennoni & Associates.
Early years
editWalker went to Walterboro High School in South Carolina and was a letterman in football and track and field.[1] He also set the state record in shot-put, throwing over 63 feet, which has been subsequently broken by 1 inch. Further, he graduated 4th in his 4A High School class.
College career
editWalker attended North Carolina State University for one year and later transferred to the University of Tennessee, where he won a National Championship with the Tennessee Vols in 1998.[2] During his senior season in 1999, Walker had 39 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks.
Professional career
editArizona Cardinals
editWalker was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the third round of the 2000 NFL draft, but was released before playing a game.[3]
Philadelphia Eagles
editSubsequently, Walker was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2000 season. The Eagles later signed him to a long-term deal.[4] He played with the Eagles through the 2006 season.
Buffalo Bills
editHe was then traded on March 26, 2007 (along with a conditional 2008 draft pick) to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Takeo Spikes and quarterback Kelly Holcomb. However, there was a proviso to that trade stating that if Walker did not report to Bills training camp by August 5, 2007, he would be returned to the Eagles in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick in 2008. He reportedly held out for a contract extension and never reported to Buffalo's training camp that year.[5]
Chicago Bears
editOn July 29, 2007, the Buffalo Bills traded Walker's rights to the Chicago Bears in exchange for a 5th round draft pick in 2008 (which Buffalo later traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for Marcus Stroud) (the Bears were in need of a defensive tackle after having waived troubled defensive lineman Tank Johnson in the 2007 offseason).[6]
Carolina Panthers
editOn April 28, 2008, he signed with the Carolina Panthers.[7]
Career statistics
edit| Year | Games | Tackles | Solo Tackles | Deflects | Sacks | Forced Fumbles | Interceptions | Int Yards | Touchdowns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 16 | 33 | 28 | 2 | 7.5 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | 16 | 42 | 37 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | 8 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | 13 | 25 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | 16 | 36 | 27 | 4 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 2007 | 11 | 17 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 108 | 197 | 154 | 14 | 28.5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
References
edit- ^ Miller, Andrew (August 18, 2019). "The 25 all-time greatest football players from Charleston area". Post and Courier. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "VFL Darwin Walker Knows How to Engineer Success". UTK.edu. September 27, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
- ^ "Eagles give Darwin Walker long-term deal". UPI. October 22, 2002. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "Bills prepared to play without AWOL DT Walker". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 11, 2007. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ Clayton, John (July 29, 2007). "Bills deal disgruntled DT Walker to Bears for pick". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
- ^ "Panthers Sign DT Darwin Walker". Cat Scratch Reader. April 28, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2024.