Jaguars OLB Josh Allen believes teammate Travon Walker poised to dominate in Year 2
• Josh Allen believes Walker will exceed them
Expectations are high for outside linebacker Travon Walker entering his second season with the Jacksonville Jaguars but teammate Josh Allen believes he shouldn't have trouble meeting them. In fact, Allen thinks Walker will outright dominate in Year 2.
Allen met with the local media after Day 6 of Jaguars training camp and talked about what he expects from Travon Walker for the 2023 season.
"My expectations for Travon is to dominate,", Allens said. "It's not up to me how I expect him to be, it's what he expects of himself. And in a conversation that we do have, he expects him to be Trevon Walker. So whatever he tells me, that's my expectation for him and I'm going to hold him to that, like he does with me, so I expect him to dominate, really show up and show out from the beginning to the end."
Allen later noted that he and Walker have a better rapport, and that's allowed them to help each other to watch and go through film together.
"We were real formal last year, we were always kicking it. But this year, we don't have to have that, 'I'm Josh, I'm Travor' face. Now, we're full go. And now we can really sit down and talk film. When we sit down and watch film, we sit right next to each other, we can talk about things, see things differently," Allen said.
Allen continued, "Like I said about K'Lavon [Chaisson], Travon is more talkative in meetings now, so that's also a sign that he's getting it. He's starting to see things a little bit different on the field, and he can really talk about it. So he's definitely taking those steps and I can say, that we're getting better."
During the same exchange with the media, Allen praised K'Lavon Chaisson for showing the ropes to their younger teammates during his absence in offseason workouts.
Last season, Walker registered 3.5 sacks, five tackles for a loss, one interception, and one forced fumble. Given his talent level, he should have no trouble doubling those numbers in 2023. And so far, he's made a positive impression in training camp. Here's the clip of Allen talking about his relationship with Walker and his expectations for his sophomore season.
Jaguars OLB Travon Walker is in a position to succeed in Year 2
Walker made the switch to outside linebacker full-time in the NFL after hardly ever rushing the passer from a standup position in college. The Jaguars knew it was going to take him a while to get acclimated to his new position, so they didn't have high expectations for him last year. That's changed now though.
Heading into the 2023 season, the Jaguars, just like himself, expect big things from Walker. More specifically, they hope he can become the dominant pass rusher they thought they were getting when they drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick last year.
Working in Walker's favor is that he's being able to focus on honing his skills this offseason, something he wasn't able to do last year due to the time he had to spend visiting teams and getting ready for the draft.
On top of that, the former Georgia Bulldog said that the game has slowed down for him, which should allow him to showcase his talent without having to think about the scheme.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are counting on Travon Walker to step up in 2023. If he does, he and Josh Allen would then give Jacksonville a dynamic duo of bookend pass rushers.