Former Chicago Bears defensive end DeMarcus Walker has surprisingly not signed with an NFL team yet, despite coming off a solid second season in the Windy City. When the Bears released Walker in February, the belief was that he would be snatched up during the early stages of free agency.
That didn’t happen for the veteran defender. However, a new opportunity might’ve just appeared for Walker to join a contender as we inch closer towards the midway point of the 2025 regular season.
On Monday, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported that Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Za’Darius Smith announced his retirement. This isn’t great news for the Eagles, who are already lacking defensive end depth and production. But this could be the break that Walker needs to get back on the field.
Za’Darius Smith’s Retirement Opens Opportunity for DeMarcus Walker to Join Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles’ pass rush has been a huge disappointment through six weeks, as they have nine sacks (25th in the NFL). The Eagles thought the addition of Smith, along with Nolan Smith, Josh Uche, Jalyx Hunt, Azeez Ojulari, and Ogbo Okoronkwo would be enough to give the pass rush a spark.
That hasn’t been the case, despite Za’Darius Smith having 1.5 sacks in his five games with the Eagles. Uche and Ojulari have yet to record a sack, while Nolan Smith and Okoronkwo are both dealing with injuries.
Based on the Smith news, the Eagles will likely push to make a trade for a defensive end. However, if I were Walker’s agent, I’d put in a phone call to Eagles GM Howie Roseman to come in for a workout.
Walker isn’t your prototypical defensive end that will get 8-10 sacks in a season, but he has the skills to play inside and on the edge. And not to mention, he’s familiar with Vic Fangio, who was his head coach in Denver for the 2019 and 2020 seasons.
During those two years with the Broncos, Walker racked up 40 combined tackles, 10 QB hits, 8.5 sacks, and 8 tackles for loss across 23 games (five starts). After his time with the Broncos, Walker began to come into his own, playing a season with the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans, and the last two years with the Bears.
Last season with the Bears, Walker had 47 combined tackles, 23 QB pressures, 16 quarterback hits, 7 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Again, the sack numbers won’t wow you, but the veteran defender started in all 17 games.
The Eagles can’t be picky at this stage of the season with who they bring in, and Walker needs an opportunity. The last thing we heard about Walker was that he had a workout with the San Francisco 49ers last week.
The 49ers didn’t sign the ex-Bears defender, but it was good to see him getting some interest after having free agent visits in the spring with the Detroit Lions and New York Giants.
Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see if the Eagles give Walker a call to see what he can bring to their defensive line, which desperately needs production and depth.