At what point does Todd Bowles finally give David Walker the playing time he has earned? Through five games, the second-year edge rusher has arguably been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' most complete and productive outside linebacker, yet he continues to find himself buried in the defensive rotation. Thursday night's 24-16 upset over the Dallas Cowboys was another example, with Walker playing just 19 defensive snaps despite being one of Tampa Bay's most disruptive defenders.
The numbers make his limited role even harder to understand. Walker currently holds a 77.5 overall Pro Football Focus grade, ranking 19th among 112 qualifying edge defenders. His 82.3 pass rush grade ranks 10th, while his 76.1 run defense grade ranks 13th. That combination is important because Walker isn't simply a situational pass rusher. He's showing the ability to impact the game against both the run and pass.
Through five games, Walker has recorded two sacks and 10 pressures despite playing just 71 defensive snaps. His 29.4% pressure rate ranks second in the NFL among players with at least 30 pass rush attempts. He's also averaging just 2.59 seconds to generate pressure, the 11th-fastest mark among defenders with at least 10 pressures. Against Dallas, Walker generated three pressures on just 10 pass-rush opportunities, for an impressive 30% pressure rate. He also earned an 83.7 pass rush grade and helped create one of the game's biggest defensive plays, deflecting a Dak Prescott pass that eventually landed in Yaya Diaby's hands for an interception. Yet somehow, Walker finished fourth among Tampa Bay's edge rushers in playing time. Rueben Bain Jr. received 35 snaps, Diaby played 34, and Al-Quadin Muhammad saw 25. Walker received just 19, accounting for 32% of the defensive snaps.
That distribution raises legitimate questions about how Bowles is evaluating his personnel. Walker has been more efficient than several players ahead of him in the rotation, and his production isn't limited to one impressive performance. He's consistently created pressure whenever given opportunities. Tampa Bay has spent years searching for a consistent edge presence. Now that Walker is showing signs of becoming exactly that, the coaching staff needs to stop treating him like an occasional contributor.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: David Walker continues to get few snaps despite dominance