WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — There were questions if Anthony Walker Jr. was ever going to play football again. Not from the outside world, but from himself.

"My first time having something like that, it was scary," the Browns linebacker said following Thursday's training camp practice at The Greenbrier. "I'm not going to lie to you. You know, you can't do anything. I've been playing football and walking around normal for 20-some-odd years and then one day you wake up and you need help to do everything. So taking it one day at a time. Every step has been a blessing. Riding a bike again to walking normal without crutches and then running and all that stuff. So I don't take any of that for granted."

Walker's world turned upside down with 10:34 remaining in the third quarter of the Browns' Week 3 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sept. 22. He got his foot caught in the turf while trying to make a cut and fell.

The diagnosis was a torn quad tendon, an injury requiring surgery almost immediately and ending his 2022 season.

What remained was a question if Walker's career was going to be lost as well. Or, at least how much of his career would be lost before he was able to get back on the field.

"It's hard when you're injured and you're out of it," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. "It's so easy to feel like you're away from the team. And that was never where A-Walk was, even while dealing with the injury last year and then to come back."

The Browns, despite the injury, re-signed Walker to a one-year contract this spring after the linebacker initially tested the market. They did so knowing there was going to be a delay in when he would be able to help the team on the field.

How long that delay was going to be was anyone's guess? Neither Walker nor fellow linebacker Sione Takitaki (torn ACL in Week 13), participated in any on-field drills throughout OTAs and minicamp in June.

That left questions if one or both were going to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Not only didn't they start on the PUP list, but both went through individual drills for the first time Sunday.

"I think every day has been better for me out there on the field," Walker said "You know, you can't recreate football by doing rehab or by doing just training on the side. So I think for me the last bit is actually getting out there and doing individual drills and then progressing to 7-on-7, then progressing to team period. So for me, I think I'm taking steps in the right direction. Still got weeks away till we play a game, a regular-season game, but just making good progression and moving at the pace that the trainers want me to move."

Injuries were the story of the Browns' linebacking corps a year ago. Walker's injury started a season-long run of season-ending injuries at the position, followed by Jacob Phillips (Week 7, torn pectoral muscle), Takitaki, Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Week 14, foot) and Jordan Kunaszyk (Week 17, hand).

However, that entire group is back intact this season. The only major addition at the position was former Indianapolis Colts special-teams ace Matthew Adams, who sustained a calf injury on Tuesday and will be sidelined for a couple of weeks, according to Stefanski, and undrafted free agent Mohamoud Diabete.

"You don't have to bring in too many outside guys when it's a next man up mentality and that guy's ready to play and that's a tribute to, like I said, (linebackers coach Jason) Tarver, and a tribute to the other guys being ready to play," Walker said. "Tony (Fields II), Jordan, all those guys being ready to play at any moment. … Just the confidence in the group and then also confidence in the coach that he's got the guys ready to play."

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns LB Anthony Walker Jr. getting closer daily in injury recovery