Brandon Walton

American football player (born 1998)
American football player
Brandon Walton
No. 73 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position:Offensive tackle
Personal information
Born: (1998-03-18) March 18, 1998 (age 26)
Clearwater, Florida, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:300 lb (136 kg)
Career information
High school:Seminole (FL)
College:Florida Atlantic (2016–2019)
Undrafted:2020
Career history
  • Buffalo Bills (2020)*
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (2020–2021)*
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2021–present)
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career NFL statistics as of 2023
Games played:15
Games started:2
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Brandon Walton (born March 18, 1998) is an American football offensive tackle for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida Atlantic and was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2020.

Early years

Walton was born on March 18, 1998, in Clearwater, Florida. He attended Seminole High School, where he was named PCAC Lineman of the Year in both 2014 and 2015. He was named All-Tampa Bay and was a three-star recruit, receiving offers from more than 20 universities. He committed to Florida Atlantic University on December 5, 2015.[1] As a freshman in 2016, he appeared in two games, against Kansas State and Old Dominion.[2]

As a sophomore in 2017, Walton played as one of Florida Atlantic's starting offensive linemen, helping them achieve an undefeated Conference USA (C-USA) record. In spring 2018, he was named co-MVP of the team's offensive line. He was a preseason third-team all-conference selection and was a starting lineman, earning Phil Steele third-team All-C-USA honors at the end of the year.[2]

As a senior, Walton earned first-team All-C-USA honors at left tackle. He was named the winner of the Spring Offensive Lineman "Top Guy" Award at the beginning of the season and was a second-team preseason all-conference selection by Athlon Sports, first-team by the Phil Steele magazine. He helped the team win the C-USA championship and started in every game.[3] Phil Steele named him first-team all-conference at the end of the year.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span
6 ft 4+14 in
(1.94 m)
311 lb
(141 kg)
34+18 in
(0.87 m)
9 in
(0.23 m)
All values from Pro Day[4]

After going unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft, Walton was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent.[5] He was released on September 5, at the final roster cuts.[6] The following day, he was signed to the team's practice squad.[7] He was released from the practice squad on September 8.[8]

On September 19, Walton was signed to the practice squad of the Pittsburgh Steelers.[9] He was signed to a futures contract on January 14, 2021.[10] He was waived by the team on August 17, during the first round of roster cuts.[11]

On August 18, one day after being waived from Pittsburgh, Walton was claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[12] He was waived on August 31, at the final roster cuts, but was re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[13][14] Walton was released from the practice squad on January 31, 2022.[15] On February 16, he was signed as a free agent by Tampa Bay.[16] Walton made the Buccaneers' final roster in 2022.[17] He made his NFL debut in week one of the regular season, appearing on four special teams snaps in a 19–3 win over the Dallas Cowboys.[18] He appeared in a total of 11 games in the 2022 season, starting two.[18]

References

  1. ^ Feeney, Brendan (March 16, 2016). "FAU football recruit recap: Brandon Walton". University Press.
  2. ^ a b c "Brandon Walton". fausports.com. Florida Atlantic University.
  3. ^ Acosta, Joseph (April 21, 2020). "Brandon Walton has the tools to be a solid offensive lineman in the NFL". University Press.
  4. ^ "2020 NFL Draft Scout Brandon Walton College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 27, 2023.
  5. ^ "Offensive Lineman Brandon Walton to Sign with Buffalo Bills". fausports.com. Florida Atlantic University. April 26, 2020.
  6. ^ Wojton, Nick (September 5, 2020). "Buffalo Bills 53-man roster list after final cuts made". USA Today.
  7. ^ Talbot, Ryan (September 6, 2020). "Buffalo Bills practice squad tracker 2020: News, reports, rumors, more". Syracuse.com.
  8. ^ Brown, Chris (September 8, 2020). "BIlls sign WR Jake Kumerow to the practice squad". buffalobills.com. Buffalo Bills.
  9. ^ Kozora, Alex (September 19, 2020). "Steelers Sign OT Brandon Walton To Practice Squad". steelersdepot.com.
  10. ^ Rutter, Joe (January 14, 2021). "Steelers sign Pine-Richland's Kevin Rader, 12 others to futures contracts". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  11. ^ Rutter, Joe (August 17, 2021). "Steelers cut kicker Sam Sloman, 4 others in 1st round of roster trimming". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  12. ^ Smith, Scott (August 18, 2021). "Bucs Add T Brandon Walton to Depleted O-Line". buccaneers.com. Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
  13. ^ Goodall, Zach (August 31, 2021). "Buccaneers Let Go of DL Jeremiah Ledbetter, OL Brandon Walton". Sports Illustrated.
  14. ^ Saunders, Alan (September 2, 2021). "Buccaneers Sign former Steelers OL Brandon Walton to Practice Squad". SteelersNow.com.
  15. ^ "Brandon Walton Transactions & Injuries". sportsforecaster.com.
  16. ^ "Bucs Re-Sign Tackle Brandon Walton". buccaneers.com. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. February 16, 2022.
  17. ^ Easterling, Luke (August 30, 2022). "Bucs announce initial 53-man roster for 2022 season". USA Today.
  18. ^ a b "Brandon Walton Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.

Further reading

  • Stroud, Rick (August 13, 2022). "Brandon Walton feels right at home on the Bucs offensive line". Tampa Bay Times.
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