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Rookie LB Walker getting noticed at Eagles camp

JOE WALKER stood in a hallway of the NovaCare Complex and tugged at his dark brown beard. "Sorry," he said through a sheepish smile. "I'm doing the best I can."

Linebacker Joe Walker (right) goes against safety Jalen Mills during practice.
Linebacker Joe Walker (right) goes against safety Jalen Mills during practice.Read more(Charles Fox/Staff Photographer)

JOE WALKER stood in a hallway of the NovaCare Complex and tugged at his dark brown beard.

"Sorry," he said through a sheepish smile. "I'm doing the best I can."

The linebacker, whom the Eagles selected with the third-to-final pick in the seventh round of this year's draft, didn't expect to be talking to many reporters this summer. His plan, he said, was to come in, put his head down and work to get better. He didn't think he would have to think about giving good answers.

That changed when Doug Pederson went out of his way to compliment Walker after Wednesday's practice.

"I'll tell you, Joe Walker has done a great job for us this offseason," Pederson said. "He's put himself in a position to be a solid backup."

All of a sudden, Walker, a former Oregon Duck, was on the training-camp radar, and at an interesting time for Eagles linebackers.

This week, Nigel Bradham was arrested in Florida for an assault allegation and Travis Long was released by the team.

Pederson said Wednesday he didn't foresee Bradham being released. The case is being sorted out by police.

With Long gone, the team has eight linebackers on the roster, including Bradham. Three of them, including Walker, are rookies. Two of the team's expected starters, Jordan Hicks and Mychal Kendricks, have dealt with a number of injuries over the last couple of years.

Pederson asserted that he's comfortable with the team's depth at linebacker, but it would seem to be a position of need for the time being. There's a chance, Pederson said, the team could bring in another linebacker to fill the 90th spot on the roster.

"We're going to continue to monitor that position, and watch and see, and keep updating if we can," Pederson said. "But for right now, I'm very pleased with the work these guys have done in the offseason, what the rookies have shown these last few days."

And among those rookies, it would appear Walker has been the head coach's standout.

Walker, who stands 6-2 and weighs 236 pounds, has been working mainly at the MIKE linebacker position this offseason, but he said during OTAs that he could work at any of the three linebacker spots. That kind of versatility makes a player useful as a backup.

Adjusting to the pro speed, Walker said, has been one of the biggest challenges for him this summer. He's used the first few days of training camp to get his body back in football shape, as well as his mind. Things have gone well.

"I think I've just been more confident," Walker said. "Knowing my stuff better has helped everything be a little more fluid."

Walker said he's enjoyed his first taste of a Jim Schwartz defense and thinks he can fit right in behind players like Kendricks and Hicks.

"You've just got to be able to be aggressive in this defense, and I know I can be," Walker said.

For now, though, Walker is content to just keep working on his game without worrying about roster spots. There's still an entire month until those kinds of decisions are made.

"It feels good to be noticed and stuff," Walker said, "but I'm just trying to get better and see where I wind up in the end."

@AdamWHermann