In reversal, Walker un-retires, returns to Commanders camp

Aug. 7—Just hours after former Idaho linebacker Tre Walker seemingly retired Friday, Walker shifted gears and unretired.

Walker did not practice with the Washington Commanders, and Commanders coach Ron Rivera talked about Walker's initial decision earlier in the morning.

"He said it was something he'd been thinking about and there's some things he wanted to get back to," Rivera said at the team's training facility in Ashburn, Va. "So he decided it was time to move on. He is a guy we had some high hopes for, but unfortunately he just decided it was time to move on. We want to wish him all the best."

According to the Washington Post, Walker talked with Rivera later in the day about coming back.

The Commanders reinstated Walker from the reserve/retired list and he was back practicing with the team Saturday.

Probably a good thing for Rivera and the team.

Walker looked primed to earn a spot on Washington's final 53-man roster before Friday. The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder made notable plays during OTAs and training camp, playing well in making reads on fifth-round draft pick and former North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell, and was been pointed out as a breakout player in a Commanders linebacking corps that has been considered one of the team's weaker positions.

Rivera was steadfast in his thought of building a group of young linebackers, refusing to hit the free-agent market for an established veteran and instead going with Walker, Notre Dame's Drew White and Southern Illinois' Bryce Notree.

Now, Walker has returned and the team's situation at linebacker seems more stable.

In his final year with the Vandals, Walker led the way with 105 total tackles, three for loss, three passes defended and a forced fumble. He was named first-team All-Big Sky Conference, second-team HERO Sports All-American, third-team All-American by Phil Steele as well as a Stats Platform All-American. He also participated in the Shrine Bowl after this past season.

The four-year Vandal started twice as a freshman, but his sophomore season saw him break out. He started all 12 games in 2019, amassing the sixth-most tackles in a single season in program history with 138. Walker also had 74 solo stops, including nine for loss, and 1.5 sacks. He recorded double-digit tackles in eight games, including a 16-tackle effort on Nov. 16 against Sacramento State.

In the four-game spring season in 2021, Walker led the Big Sky with 13.5 tackles per game, including 15 in a Feb. 27 win against then-No. 12 Easern Washington. That season, he finished 10th in the votiing for the Buck Buchanan Award and was a unanimous first-team All-Big Sky selection. Walker also earned first-team honors from the Associated Press, Stats Perform, HERO Sports and Phil Steele.

Walker was the first Vandal to take advanage of the new NCAA name, image and likeness policies that took over college athletics in July 2021, selling clothing with a stylized "TW" and eight-ball logo with the number "8" on it (8 was Walker's jersey number at Idaho.)

Kowatsch can be reached at tkowatsch@lmtribune.com, (208) 848-2268 or on Twitter @tkseahawk13.