Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2023 season is getting underway after the team finished above .500 but failing to make the postseason last year, we turn our attention to the next chapter of Steelers football and everything that entails. One thing that it means is that some stock evaluations are going to start taking on more specific contexts as we get into the season, reflecting more immediate plusses and minus rather than trends over long periods. The nature of the evaluation, whether short-term or long-term, will be noted in the reasoning section below.
Player: ILB Mykal Walker
Stock Value: Up
Reasoning: The veteran inside linebacker is likely to be activated to the 53-man roster in time for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Signed to the practice squad on Oct. 30, he may also see playing time following a series of season-ending injuries at the position.
To have a player sitting on the practice squad who played over 750 defensive snaps last season and registered over 100 tackles is a real blessing for the Pittsburgh Steelers right now. Purporting to have three starters at inside linebacker just a few weeks ago, they are down to one following injuries in consecutive weeks.
First it was Cole Holcomb, the closest thing they had to an every-down defender, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Tennessee Titans. Then it was Kwon Alexander this past Sunday going down with an Achilles injury against the Green Bay Packers.
All that’s left are Elandon Roberts and Mark Robinson. The former had already been playing a healthy amount, but still only about 250 snaps over the course of the first eight weeks—logging under half of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. Robinson was more of an emergency player, having only logged four snaps prior to the injuries.
But the Steelers will likely add, possibly among others, Mykal Walker to the mix this week. A former fourth-round pick of the Atlanta Falcons, he started 20 of 49 games for them, logging over 1,300 defensive snaps over three years. The majority of those came last year when he registered 107 tackles, two interceptions, and a sack.
Reportedly, inside linebackers coach Aaron Curry let him know this week that he should be prepared to play in all personnel groups, a strong indication that he will be active for Sunday’s game. With open roster spots available, he could easily be signed to the 53-man roster. Or they could use one of his three available standard practice squad elevations.
I think it’s a safe bet to assume he will dress, given that the Steelers have no depth outside of other practice squad linebackers, and he is the most experienced of the group. The question then is how much he might play. He has a skill set that more naturally lends itself to playing in coverage, but that’s also a more scheme-intensive assignment for someone who has only been here a couple weeks.
