Tracy Walker: 'Don’t Need Anybody to Tell Me How Good I Am'

Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker does not need validation from NFL pundits.

Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker knows what skills he can bring to any National Football Team and what those skills are worth, heading into free agency.

With uncertainty swirling around his future, he was left off a recent Top 75 free agents list published by The Athletic.

Walker took to social media to air his frustrations. In response to being left off the list, Walker tweeted, “Don’t need anybody to tell me how good I am, time will for sure tell like it always does.”

“Walker has done enough to be included there, but how much are those players worth?”, Burke wrote in a recent piece. “(Marcus) Maye is a unique case because he was franchise tagged in 2021; the others might fall into that $8 million to $9 million per-year range. Walker will be there, too.”

On the top-75 list, the safety class was comprised of Jessie Bates, Tyrann Mathieu, Marcus Williams, former Lions safety Quandre Diggs, Jayron Kearse, Justin Reid, Jordan Whitehead, Terrell Edmunds and Marcus Maye.

Diggs was a member of the Lions from 2015-19, being traded during the 2019 season to the Seattle Seahawks. Kearse, meanwhile, spent just the 2020 season with Detroit. He played the 2021 season with the Dallas Cowboys.

Walker was the Lions' leading tackler last season, totaling 108 while playing in 15 of the team’s 17 games. He also had six pass breakups and one interception.

There have been changes to Walker’s role during his time in Detroit. In 2020, under head coach Matt Patricia, he transitioned from free safety to strong safety, due to the acquisition of Duron Harmon. Walker struggled in his new position, potentially hurting his value.

Yet, with a return to his true position, the Louisiana-Lafayette product enjoyed a solid 2021 season. Now, he enters free agency with boosted stock, thanks to his rebound season.

Part of the change from 2020 involved the change in regime, with Dan Campbell taking over as head coach after Matt Patricia was fired.

“That’s the biggest thing for me,” Walker said. “That was the biggest difference (from last year), honestly. I respect these coaches for that, giving me a voice, and allowing me to voice my opinions, and hearing me out, regardless if I’m right or wrong. And, that’s the difference between these coaches. That’s why I respect them the way I do.”

Under Campbell, the Lions finished 3-13-1 in 2021. Walker helped to seal the final win, a Week 18 triumph over the Packers, with a late interception. First-year general manager Brad Holmes was impressed with Walker’s performance.

“Tracy had already been with us obviously, but a new scheme, a new regime, new coaching staff, and he responded well,” Holmes said. “He really did. I thought he played good football for us, and he really bought into everything that we’re doing. I was really happy for him.”

In his four years as a member of the Lions, Walker has enjoyed a fair amount of success. He has just three interceptions and one forced fumble to show on the turnover front in his career, but has two 100-plus tackle seasons.

Three of his final four games in 2021 resulted in double-digit tackle games, a sign that he was playing his best at the end of the year.

Walker was working with a new secondary coach, as Aubrey Pleasant took over the defensive backs room as part of the new regime. Pleasant’s future is uncertain, as he has been requested to interview for the Minnesota Vikings’ vacant defensive coordinator position under new head coach Kevin O’Connell.

Though Pleasant admitted recently he was impressed, he noted there was room for improvement in the young safety.

“Both him and I believe for as good as this year was, there is vast room for improvement,” Pleasant said at the Senior Bowl. “And, f we get a chance to work again in the future, you guys can see the same progression that maybe we’ve seen over the last year.”

Walker has been a solid piece of the Lions' secondary for the last four seasons, after being drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft. Now, it’s time to see how highly the Lions value him.

Walker is one of 19 unrestricted or restricted free agents that Holmes and Detroit's scouting department will have to make a decision on in the coming weeks.