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Rookie Expectations: Cavon Walker

By Bill Zimmerman

COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 07: Darnell Savage Jr. #26 (L) and Cavon Walker #39 of the Maryland Terrapins (R) jump into the stands before playing the Wisconsin Badgers at Byrd Stadium on November 7, 2015 in College Park, Maryland.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
COLLEGE PARK, MD - NOVEMBER 07: Darnell Savage Jr. #26 (L) and Cavon Walker #39 of the Maryland Terrapins (R) jump into the stands before playing the Wisconsin Badgers at Byrd Stadium on November 7, 2015 in College Park, Maryland.(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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One UDFA to keep an eye on is Maryland’s Cavon Walker. He could be just what the Chicago Bears are looking for.

Cavon Walker has had an interesting path to Chicago Bears’ training camp. Walker was a 215 lb linebacker early in his career at Maryland but suffered an injury and to keep busy, he hit the gym- a lot. Next thing Walker knew, he was 280 lbs and now too big to play linebacker, so Maryland moved him to the defensive line.

Walker doesn’t have a lot of experience with his hand in the dirt, which is why he slipped right out of the draft and on the Chicago Bears radar as a UDFA. Walker is an interesting case and it will be interesting to see where the Bears plan to use him. Some people see him as a 5-Tech DE for Vic Fangio, others think he will be pushed to the outside as another possibility at edge.

Best-Case Scenario

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Walker shows he’s a versatile defender who can play both 5-tech and edge. He shows that he has the potential to be a contributor for the Bears’ defense and looks solid in camp and the opportunities he gets in preseason. Being he’s so new to his position, he’s never really a threat to get a 53-man roster spot, but the Bears are eager to put him on the practice squad.

He continues to improve throughout the season and gets an opportunity to be called up to the 53-man roster late in the season. He shows he can be used in multiple spots on sub packages and appears versatile enough to become a key component to the Bears’ defense moving forward. Walker sticks on the 53 in 2019 and competes for playing time at edge opposite Leonard Floyd and at the DE slot opposite Akiem Hicks.

Worst-Case Scenario

While the move to defensive line benefited Walker in college, he shows he doesn’t quite have the strength and size to handle the trenches at the NFL level. The Bears focus him more at edge but he proves too slow to handle the position on the outside. The jump to the NFL level proves too difficult and Walker is cut without being offered a spot on the practice squad.

Odds Are

Walker shows flashes in camp and a little bit in the second half of preseason games. The Bears like what they see but know that Walker has no chance to contribute in 2018. The Bears have two options, cut him and stash him on the practice squad or he “suffers” some type of vague injury which forces him to miss the entire season (see Roy Robertson-Harris in 2016, Jordan Morgan in 2017). This, in essence, gives Walker a red shirt year with the Bears. Expect the latter. The Bears want to give Walker every opportunity in 2019, so they lock him down this year with an injury and take another look at him in 2019 without the fear of losing him to another team while he’s on the practice squad this season.

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