He was a better LB when Cooper started playing alongside of him. Your guard will be better with a better center next to him too, and so on. Quay doesn't have to do much more to prove he belongs. He certainly doesn't belong on another team.

IMHO, after 3 seasons he has reached his ceiling. I hope I'm wrong. Perhaps Cooper's play can help cover up Walker's deficiencies.

I'd prefer to have THREE fast, quality LBers.
I'm not sold on TyRon Hopper, but maybe they've seen something we haven't.
I'd love to add Jihaad Campbell or Carson Schwesinger to the group.

Walker, Cooper, McDuffie and Hopper are all under contract.

I think maybe handing the green dot to Cooper may help. If Walker can just react, I think this puts him in a better chance to succeed.

The Packers have a tough decision here. I'm glad I'm not the GM on this one. We don't want to lock him up unless he does take another step forward, but he has been relatively durable and has made a lot of tackles. On the other hand, the fifth-year option is quite expensive, so I don't know if we want to do that. My feeling is that he still has room to grow, but you know, seeing is really believing.

LB should be a solid group. Cooper looks like the real deal and I think Walker is a good player (not worth where he was drafted but far from a bust). Will see what he looks like in year 2 of this defense.

He’s got a chance. He’s shown progress.

In general our linebacking corps has been a revolving door - would be great to establish some stability at some point to a very important segment of our D !

I usually ask myself, how would a top 4-5 team handle the 'Quay' situation? I think GB is less objective than a top team would be.

Not instinctive enough to give a big 2nd deal to, let someone else do that. Especially with Cooper getting the bag in a couple years.

I recall Hafley calling out Walker during his first presser in GB. When asked what position did he see Quay playing in his defense, he said the position that maximizes his skills while putting him in the best spot to make plays.

He obviously saw Quay's play maker abilities...and now he has a second playmaker in Cooper.

Unlike Barry, who's soft zone/prevent put Walker in positions that wasted his skills, too often in a deep zone, standing still after the snap for second or two diagnosing his job. Too often he was covering 4.4 WRs streaking through his middle zone.

Hafley and Campanile worked hard to get him to read and react at the snap. And in the last quarter of the season he was flying around...even getting routine pressures or a sack when sent on a blitz. And his tackling quality also greatly improved last season. He was so much quicker to the ball.

The "Read and React" pressure D is a good fit for Walker. He should continue grow along with Cooper (and hopefully Hopper) this year.

I am excited for the defense!

The application of make-up is tricky, as any female will tell you, as less reveals more of you and more reveals less of you. Find the balance, and you'll always look and feel good about yourself, and others will respond.

Walker, IMO, is still looking for his balance, and we can only hope the Defensive scheme for him is applied to achieve the look. Both parties need to first understand what the make-up being applied is to do. Conceal flaws, highlight attributes, know what is the proper base/foundation needs to be, what is the look you need/want to be seen as. If done poorly, everybody can see the fraud presented, done correctly, and nobody looks for the flaws, while you amaze them with what you made them only able to see.

Make-up is nothing but deception, but one thing will always hold true, a pig is a pig no matter the amount of make-up applied. I don't think Walker is a pig, but he is a possible Prince that can be a frog without the proper make-up.

Just an analogy, don't take it too seriously, but please try to get the point.

Interesting to read Anthony Campamile's comments. No wonder the coaches like Quay so much. I think the deadline for picking up the 5th year option is May 1st, so we will soon find out what the Packers front office really thinks of him. I'm on the fence. Maybe they could offer him a two-year deal with some incentives.

This is an unpopular opinion but it forms the basis of my observation. The sort of lengthy propping up of Q Walker-4 years and counting--is more about Gutekunst's need to show he has chosen guys worthy of a second contract.A portion of GM drafting prowess involves the ability to choose guys who will easily qualify for a second contract.
Q Walker, Wyatt & Gary are not those guys. I think this need to justify one's 1st round picks also keeps players on the field too long, makes them starters when they are not starting-caliber,(Savage, Walker, LVN) and strains other players (Edgerrin Cooper) by having to compensate for them, etc. Ty'Ronn Hopper may be another-

I have never waivered from this belief and also know that there will be 5-6 hostile dudes who will do their best
to take me down.

I'm all for extending Walker and Wyatt.
It took Gute too long to draft the positions.
Both are very much a part of this defense.
Walker has earned the respect of others around him.
And yes- I still would draft Jihaad Campbell.
Even over a WR, DL , CB.

The Walker decision is a 50/50 ball for me. He is an imposing athletic beast who coaches and teammates love. But he has played largely 3 unremarkable years. It just feels like his instinctiveness is not there and that this is the kind of guy we might overpay to stay. Maybe we are better off letting him go. If someone else signs him to a big deal they take the risk and we get a nice compensatory pick. He might blow up into an all-pro and we look silly, but historical performance would suggest otherwise. But the reason it is a 50/50 ball for me is I have to assume coaches and teammates know a lot more than me.

Walker and Wyatt will get 5th year extensions.