Allen Park — Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker vigorously attacked his rehab after tearing his Achilles last season, meeting his own accelerated timeline to return to the field. And you would have been hard-pressed to tell he had suffered the devastating injury with the way he moved and played throughout training camp and the preseason.
Walker’s performance drew praise from coach Dan Campbell last month.
“Yeah, I think Tracy has done a good job, I do,” Campbell said. “I don’t feel like there’s a deficiency with the injury. I feel like he’s come back physically. I think he looks pretty good. I feel like his communication is back to where it’s been. I think he’s having a pretty good camp. I really do.”
But even with a solid showing in camp, Walker wasn’t able to maintain the starting job he had prior to the injury. A couple of weeks in, the Lions shuffled their secondary, moving Chauncey Gardner-Johnson into the second safety spot and backfilling the nickel cornerback role with impressive rookie Brian Branch.
Regardless of things not shaking out the way Walker might have wanted or expected, position coach Brian Duker commended the veteran and 2022 captain on the way he’s continued to conduct himself.
“Tracy is great,” Duke said. “Tracy is a really good pro. He comes to work every day. I would say his role does not define his energy level, it does not define his attitude. He’s continued to be — his work ethic is there. His attitude is always there. He’s gonna play. At some point, we’ll need him. And there are roles for everybody on this team. There are roles for everybody on this team. And that’s what he understands about it.”
Beyond being the next man up at multiple spots in Detroit’s secondary, Walker is expected to play a significant role on special teams to start the season.
Rookie impressing
Quarterback Hendon Hooker is weeks if not months away from being medically cleared from last year’s ACL injury, but the rookie has been able to make steady progress with some after-practice work with the team’s training staff, as well as a heavy dose of mental work in the class room.
In he latter, he’s thriving, according to position coach Mark Brunell.
“I’ve been trying to stump Hendon,” Brunell said. “Every day I ask him a few questions and he’s always making me mad, because he’s always getting the answer right. But one of these days, I’m going to get him. He’s doing very well, he’s putting the time in, and, of course, he has his rehab. He’s working with the trainers and everybody. In our room, he’s been incredible. Really pleased with his progress, as far as our offense. He’s been sharp.”
A helping hand
Another person who has impressed Brunell behind the scenes is assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett.
“He’s awesome,” Brunell said. “I love working with J.T. He is a great kid. He is hard-working. Every day, he just gets better. You know, he’s in a role where I like to think I’m pretty fair to him, but I ask him to do a lot and everything he just nails it every time.
“He’s gonna be a good coach in this league,” Brunell continued. “Because he’s only gonna get better and better. It’s important to him and his attention to detail is great. If he makes a mistake, it bothers him, you know? And he doesn’t make that mistake again. I lean on him heavily, and so I feel like as far as the quarterback room is concerned, we’re partnering together. I really have a lot of respect for him.”
Barrett, the former Ohio State standout, joined Detroit’s staff as an offensive assistant last year before getting bumped up to assistant quarterbacks coach. As a player, he briefly overlapped with Campbell in New Orleans (2018-19).
Injury report
Every player on the Lions’ active roster participated in Monday’s practice and only cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (knee) was limited. The veteran defender began working his way back into a practice routine after being activated off the physically unable to perform list last week and is a longshot to play against Kansas City on Thursday.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter/X: @Justin_Rogers