P.J. Walker is back in the
NFL.
According to ESPN's
Dianna Russini, the
Carolina Panthers will sign the former Houston Roughnecks quarterback after he impressed during his limited time in the XFL.
Walker's timeline to the NFL appeared to accelerate some when the XFL
announced on March 12 it suspended its inaugural season amid concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reported on the same day that the league told players it can immediately sign with an NFL team.
On March 19,
Mark Berman of Fox 26 in Houston reported the
Seattle Seahawks,
Arizona Cardinals and
Denver Broncos all reached out to the Roughnecks about the quarterback.
Walker played four seasons collegiately at Temple from 2013 through 2016 and led the Owls to bowl games and 10-win campaigns in his last two years. He also threw for 3,295 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior in 2016.
The Temple product was on the
Indianapolis Colts' practice squad for two years when
Andrew Luck was the quarterback, and the latter apparently pushed his father, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck, to feature Walker in his league.
"Andrew had been pushing him to me," Oliver said, per
John McClain of the
Houston Chronicle (h/t
Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). "He said, 'Dad, I'm telling you, this guy can play. He's a good kid and a hard worker, and he's hungry to play.'"
Through five games in the XFL, Walker led the league with 1,338 passing yards. He also impressed with a 15-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio and added 99 yards and a score on the ground as a dual-threat playmaker.
His Roughnecks were a perfect 5-0 with him leading the way, and he clearly showed enough to earn a spot in the sport's highest level.
While Walker was never going to surpass Luck as the quarterback of the Colts during his previous stint on a practice squad, he now has the opportunity to play his way on to an NFL depth chart after thriving during his XFL experience.
