Lions safety Tracy Walker provides optimistic update on Achilles injury

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Detroit Lions safety Tracy Walker, who tore his Achilles just over two months again. Walker has been frequently spotted in the locker room, providing his support to the team where he can and rehabbing hard from his devastating injury.

On Thursday, he shared an important milestone in his recovery via Instagram: he is no longer in a walking boot.

“I just want to let all my people know that’s tuned in, I told y’all the shakeback is real y’all,” Walker said in the Instagram Reel. “Y’all see that? Ain’t no more boot, man. I told y’all, I’m getting right. Y’all heard me? The shakeback is real. Watch.”

Walker had been the vocal and instructional leader of the defense going into the 2022 season. The Lions invested heavily in Walker, handing him a three-year, $25 million contract just as free agency opened. Unfortunately, he suffered his season-ending injury just three weeks into the season. However, Walker has consistently kept a positive attitude throughout it all.

“This is a tough situation, (but) I’m not going to sit here and let this beat down on me,” Walker told the media back in October. “I’m not. I’m sitting here. I’m positive. I have a lot of things to be happy about. A lot of things to be grateful about. At the end of the day, this is just a minor setback for a major comeback. And that’s how I look at it.”

Since Walker’s injury, rookie Kerby Joseph and veteran DeShon Elliott have held down the safety positions and have steadily improved their level of play. In fact, the Lions pass defense has been one of the best in the league—holding opponents to a completion percentage of 57.4 (first), passer rating of 74.9 (second), and tallying seven interceptions (first) in the past five games.

It’s unclear when Walker will return, but last time he talked to the media he was hoping to be on the field for offseason Organized Team Activities.

Here’s Walker’s Instagram message: