Stampeders add former NFL quarterback P.J. Walker to practice roster

Former Carolina Panther and Cleveland Brown quarterback P.J. Walker has been added to the practice roster of the Calgary Stampeders. (Photo: X)

The last time the Calgary Stampeders gave a former Temple University quarterback a shot, it worked out pretty well.

Tuesday, the Stamps announced they’d signed quarterback P.J. Walker to their practice roster. Walker  went to school at Temple, the same school that produced Stampeder great Henry Burris.

Walker most recently played 21 NFL games between 2020 and 2023, starting nine with the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns.

He completed 185 of 339 passes for 2,135 yards and threw for six touchdowns, in addition rushing 31 times for 80 yards.

Walker was one of the quarterbacks who stepped up last season in Cleveland when starter Deshaun Watson was lost to injury, helping the Browns win a playoff spot.

In four years at Temple, Walker made 47 starts, finishing as the Owls’ all-time leader in completions (830), passing yards (10, 668) and touchdowns (74).

Walker also played for the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL in 2020, where he led the league in passing yard and touchdowns before it shut down due to the pandemic.

With the team already eliminated from the playoffs, Stamps coach Dave Dickenson said the club made a deal with the Argonauts a couple of weeks ago to secure Walker’s CFL negotiating rights.

“We know about P.J .Walker, we’ve seen him play in other leagues,” Dickenson said. “We know he’s a good player.”

Having Walker added to the practice squad is a way for the team to get to know him and for his family to get to know the city with what’s left of the season.

As to whether Walker would see any actual game action, Dickenson said, “there’s a possibility.”

Walker brought his wife and seven-month-old daughter with him to Calgary.

“Just getting a view of everything,” Walker said. “Just taking it in while I’m here.”

After leaving the Browns, Walker signed with the Seattle Seahawks in June, but was released by the team at the end of August.

Dickenson said taking a closer look at Walker is a no-brainer.

“He can move, he can throw, he’s confident, he’s had success,” he said. “He’s like a lot of guys, probably looking for a (football) home,” he said. “When you play – he’s been playing seven years professionally – you just kind of want to find a spot you can fit in at.

“He’s just a guy I needed to look at,” he added. “I’m glad he’s given us that opportunity and we’ll see where it goes from there.”

The Stampeders take on the Elks Saturday at McMahon Stadium. Game time is 1 p.m.