Patience and perseverance have paid off for Ricky Walker.
For two seasons, the American defensive tackle saw spot duty with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. But while the six-foot-two, 287-pound Walker never doubted he could be a CFL starter, he understood the need to bide his time.
That approach was rewarded in training camp when Walker earned a starting spot. The opportunity came after tackle Casey Sayles, Walker's roommate and friend, signed this off-season as a free agent with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
"Patience is probably the most critical word in my journey," Walker said. "Being an athlete and competitor, you want to play right away . . . but this team is deep in many positions and that's tough but also good because you're learning from those guys and they're all good people.
"So you just stay humble, talk to family, trust the process and be patient. For me, I just waited for the opportunity and it finally came and I'm excited to get out there and take advantage of it."
Walker, 27, has 17 tackles and three sacks in nine games this season. Those are pretty solid numbers considering Walker had 22 tackles and two sacks the previous two campaigns combined (seven contests in 2021, 12 in 2022).
The former Virginia Tech Hokie said having two seasons to get acclimated with defensive co-ordinator Ritchie Hall's defence and how Winnipeg does things was invaluable.
"That's a huge part of it and something the staff and players here realize," he said. "Being here for those two years definitely helped . . . getting those game reps is the best way to get acclimated and learn.
"It definitely helped give me the confidence to come into 2023 ready to go."
Walker also credits the team-first culture within Winnipeg's locker room with helping him be patient.
"I think that's one of the key reasons for (Winnipeg's) success," he said. "Everyone in the locker room is a great guy, is team oriented, cares for everyone and will lay it on the line for one other.
"At the end of the day, that's what it's all about. That's something I learned my first two years here, the locker room is key."
Walker plays alongside veteran Canadian tackle Jake Thomas and they're flanked by athletic defensive ends Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat. Jefferson, the league's top defensive player in 2019, and Jeffcoat, a former CFL all-star, have both gained notoriety for being disruptive. But Walker said all four players work cohesively to make life difficult for opposing offences.
"Willie and Jackson are two of the best defensive ends in the league," Walker said. "If they do what they do best, that can help us inside but it's also the same thing vice versa.
"We definitely rely on each other."
Life as a defensive tackle isn't glamorous. It often involves fighting off double-teams and holding one's ground while also trying to read keys and quickly decipher what an offence is trying to do.
"You've got to be physical, strong and twitchy, especially up here," Walker said. "You've got to be able to move well but also having that football IQ is huge.
"You've got to know what kind of blocks you're seeing, what kind of schemes you're facing and be able to read (offensive) linemen."
But like many CFL players, Walker is making a big sacrifice to pursue a pro football career. A married father of two young boys aged five and two, Walker spends a lot of time away from the family's off-season home in Hampton, Va., from May to November.
"I'm a family man, for sure, and leaving them for training camp is always the hardest time of the year for me," Walker said. "We usually spend the summer together in Winnipeg then they head back because my oldest has school and my wife works.
"It's definitely tough, but it's just the situation we're in right now. Hopefully that will change where we can all be together."
It's a fact not lost upon Kenny Kim of Summit Athletes, Walker's Florida-based agent.
"First and foremost I see Ricky as a great father and husband as well as a gentle giant," Kim said. "I'm glad to see him being given an opportunity to showcase his talents and that he's making plays game in and game out.
"I already believe he's one the top interior defensive linemen in the league. I think the sky is the limit for him."
Winnipeg is chasing a fourth straight Grey Cup appearance and third title. But Walker said the memory of last year's heartbreaking 24-23 championship loss to the Toronto Argonauts is long gone.
"We talked about it maybe once or twice during camp and that's been it," he said. "I'm sure everyone on this team still has that bad taste in their mouth and it's in the back of their mind but it just makes you go harder.
"If you're in the weight room instead of doing five reps, you do six. If you're running a 40-yard sprint, you run 41 yards. But I'd say we're pretty much done with it, we just focus on each week and what's in front of us."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press