PJ Walker Now the Lone Bears Backup
New Bears backup quarterback PJ Walker almost had to pinch himself Thursday at Halas Hall.
"It's been crazy, but just knowing that this opportunity presented itself in front of me it's been awesome," Walker said.
It got a little crazier and more awesome for him later as Walker, a free agent acquisition late Wednesday from Carolina, suddenly became the Bears backup quarterback Thursday night instead of merely a player who came to Chicago to compete for backup behind Justin Fields.
There's no one for him to compete against at the moment because the Bears on Thursday evening released their other backup quarterback, Trevor Siemian.
Siemian was being counted on to face the New York Jets in his first meaningful action with the Bears last season but suffered an oblique injury in pregame warmups and then was announced as a lineup scratch before deciding to gut it out.
After the loss, he went on season-ending injured reserve and had surgery.
So Walker has gone from third string with Carolina last year now to third string competing for backup with the Bears to backing up Fields.
Siemian was 15 of 26 for 184 yards with a TD and interception in his lone Bears season and they lost that start to the Jets 31-10.
So Walker, who has seven career starts and 15 games played, has a goal as backup and it's simply being consistent so he's there when the team needs him.
"That's the toughest part in this business, in this league is just being consistent week-in and week-out," Walker said. "But you know, when you've got a mindset of just being consistent things will fall in place. Theyll fall in line with what you're aiming for. That consistency is huge."
Walker, who has a 4-3 record as a backup, was with the Colts practice squad when Bears coach Matt Eberflus was defensive coordinator with Indianapolis prior to going to Houston in the XFL and then to Carolina.
"Coach Flus man, it was awesome," Walker said. "I knew what he was as a coach. I just knew he could go out there and do great things as a coach. Just with the opportunity that he was gvien, he put his players in the right position and he knew what to do with his players.
"There's a lot of coaches who go out there and don't know what to do with their guys and put them in bad positions but since I've known coach Flus he's always put his players in there right position and that's somethnig players love."
Walker learned to be a backup while in Indianapolis watching Jacoby Brissette as he backed up Andrew Luck.
"Like, my first year at Indy I was around Jacoby Brissette," Walker said. "To see the leadership that he had when he was there with Andrew, so it was seeing how things worked in the building and seeing how he was as a leader toward the team and how he gravitated to them.
"Even though he was in a backup role it just showed me how to also be a leader to these guys around me. Even though I'm in a backup role you still need that guy that can talk to the receivers with the starters."
One receiver Walker won't have to have any special communication with is new receiver DJ Moore, since both were together with the Panthers. Both were elated to be with the same team again.
"It's great," Walker said. "We're actually kind of neighbors in Charlotte, so it's like it's a good feeling knowing that he's ging to be here. I know what he brings to the table and he knows what I bring to the table as well."
Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven
