Cleveland Browns: Next man up in camp after Anthony Walker injury

With linebacker Anthony Walker set to miss some time, it’s next man up for the Cleveland Browns

While the Cleveland Browns didn’t have a very good defense last season, the linebacker group was one of the worst areas on the roster last season.

With camp officially underway, things are looking up for both the Browns team defense as well as their linebacker core.

In the off-season, the Browns signed linebacker Anthony Walker to a deal, getting immediate help to lurk in the middle of the field.

Unfortunately, Walker injured his knee in Monday’s practice, but the MRI results came back positive, as Walker could now be back before the end of training camp.

Walker was already emerging as the leader and the voice of the new and revamped Browns defense, so who can they turn to now to take over that role for the time being?

Enter Mack Wilson.

I know, relying on Wilson seems hard after watching him last season. Wilson ranked as one of the league’s worst linebackers according to Pro Football Focus last season, as there were times where he just seemed lost after having such a solid rookie season.

That said, that isn’t stopping Wilson as he is seemingly emerging as the hot topic of discussion as one of the guys who worked in dead silence all off-season, and is turning a lot of heads. Wilson intercepted quarterback Baker Mayfield Tuesday in camp, a nice play in the red zone.

Wilson is said to have attached himself to the hip of Walker this offseason, learning as much as he possibly can from him in hopes to only get better.

Obviously, the Browns still have plenty of other options in terms of guys that can step up, as linebacker Sione Takitaki had a solid season last year and Jacob Phillips also showed some flashes of being a decent rotational guy.

After being put on the disabled/COVID-19 list, the Browns have now activated rookie linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah. Another high potential pick for the Browns, as not many had him slipping as far as he did on their draft boards, so the Browns had to pull the trigger.

Again, with Walker set to be out for some time, look for different guys to get different reps until they find “their guy” to fill the shoes of Walker for the time being.