"Countdown to camp" is a position-by-position overview of the Packers' roster heading into training camp. The series continues with the linebackers.
GREEN BAY – With Year 3 quickly approaching, Quay Walker feels ready to be the man in the middle of the Packers' new-look defense.
While the former first-round pick has led Green Bay in tackles during each of his first two NFL seasons, Walker knew more would be asked of him following De'Vondre Campbell's release in March.
Still only 24, Walker hasn't shirked the added responsibility of leading a highly competitive position room that's adjusting to a new scheme under incoming defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Seen as one of Green Bay’s top returning defensive playmakers, Walker has embraced the pending switch to a 4-3 base formation. He's also worked on being more vocal in an effort to solidify himself as the "Mike" linebacker responsible for relaying defensive play calls.
Athletically, there's little the 6-foot-4, 241-pound linebacker can't do. Despite missing three games in 2023 due to groin and shoulder injuries, Walker recorded 118 tackles (seven for loss) in 14 regular-season games, with five quarterback hits, 2½ sacks, and a 37-yard interception returned for a touchdown in last year's regular-season opener against Chicago.
Aside from Walker, the competition at inside linebacker remains wide open with three veterans (Isaiah McDuffie, Eric Wilson and Kristian Welch) competing with two rookie draft picks (Edgerrin Cooper and Ty'Ron Hopper) for starting jobs on defense.
The following is the sixth installment in a series of photos examining the Packers' roster position-by-position. This installment examines the linebackers.
LB Eric Wilson, LB Isaiah McDuffie, LB Quay Walker and LB Kristian Welch
LB Quay Walker
LB Quay Walker
LB Quay Walker
LB Quay Walker
LB Isaiah McDuffie
LB Isaiah McDuffie
LB Isaiah McDuffie
LB Isaiah McDuffie
LB Eric Wilson
LB Eric Wilson
LB Eric Wilson
LB Eric Wilson
LB Kristian Welch
LB Kristian Welch
LB Kristian Welch
LB Kristian Welch
LB Edgerrin Cooper
LB Edgerrin Cooper
LB Edgerrin Cooper
LB Edgerrin Cooper
LB Ty'ron Hopper
LB Ty'ron Hopper
LB Ty'ron Hopper
LB Ty'ron Hopper
LB Christian Young
LB Christian Young
LB Christian Young
LB Christian Young
LB Ralen Goforth
LB Ralen Goforth
LB Ralen Goforth
LB Ralen Goforth
McDuffie saw extensive playing time on defense last year due to injury. His eight spot starts led to the former sixth-round pick racking up 82 tackles, good for second on Green Bay's entire defense.
An aggressive, hard-nosed tackler, McDuffie led the linebacker rotation this spring with Wilson also seeing plenty of work with the No. 1 unit after re-signing with the Packers in March.
Wilson, 29, has primarily played special teams during his two years in Green Bay, leading the Packers in coverage tackles both seasons. At the same time, Wilson has played more than 2,000 defensive snaps over a seven-year NFL career. The 6-foot-1, 230-pound linebacker enjoyed his best NFL season in 2020 when led the Minnesota Vikings with 121 tackles to go along with eight passes defensed, three interceptions and three sacks.
Like Wilson, Welch re-signed with Green Bay in March. Starting last season on the Packers' practice squad, the Iola, Wis., native became one of the Packers' top performers on special teams. Although Welch didn't play on defense, he had six coverage tackles on 210 special-teams snaps.
The returning veterans will contest two intriguing rookies in Cooper and Hopper. Cooper was the first inside linebacker to come off the board when the Packers drafted the Texas A&M All-American in the second round (No. 45 overall) in April.
His production and measurables warranted the attention. Coming off an 84-tackle, eight-sack junior season, Cooper solidified his draft stock with a 4.51 time in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, one hundredth of a second faster than Walker two years earlier.
The 6-foot-2, 230-pound rookie received snaps with the No. 1 defense during split-squad periods, with Hopper often working on the opposite end of Nitschke Field with the No. 2 unit.
A third-round pick (No. 91) out of Missouri, Hopper was a finalist for the Butkus Award after registering 55 tackles and three sacks in 10 games last fall before an ankle injury sidelined him for the final two games.
Injury forced Hopper out of testing at the combine. Questions then arose about his speed after it was reported that Hopper ran a 4.68 in the 40 at his Mizzou pro day on March 22. However, General Manager Brian Gutekunst later told Green Bay reporters the Packers clocked the 6-foot-2, 228-pound linebacker in the high 4.5s.
Also competing for roster spots this summer are Christian Young and undrafted rookie Ralen Goforth, who finished his collegiate career at Washington following four seasons at USC.
Young spent time on the Packers' practice squad in 2023 before signing a futures contract with the team earlier this year.
