The Calgary Stampeders are hopeful that backup quarterback P.J. Walker will make a full recovery after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder.
“It was unfortunate, it was a throwing shoulder, it was surgically repaired. Those are dicey, but (Walker’s) down in Charlotte. He says he’s working hard and doing well. It’s a challenge, to be honest, when your players aren’t here. How much are they doing and what is the progress?” said head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson on Monday.
“We’ll stay on top of it and I’ve always really respected the way he is as a man with his family, first off, but also he’s a good player, so obviously it’d be nice if he could be healthy and get him back in the mix.”
Walker initially signed with Calgary at the tail-end of the 2024 season, giving him a chance to vet the Canadian Football League. Shortly after the season ended, he signed a two-year contract with the Stampeders that included significant financial incentives for starting games and taking regular-season snaps.
The 30-year-old made his first CFL start on July 31, which resulted in a 31-11 road loss to the Ottawa Redblacks. He also saw action in matchups against the Montreal Alouettes, Edmonton Elks, and B.C. Lions, finishing the season with a 59.3 completion percentage, 395 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also rushed for 32 yards and one score.
A Hall of Fame quarterback in his own right, Dickenson was pleased with the progress Walker showed over his first full year in the CFL.
“I think he was actually taking a nice step forward. It was unfortunate when he got hurt, I think he’d had a start or two, and then he’d played (late) in multiple games, like mop-up duty,” said the 53-year-old native of Great Falls, Mon.
“I thought he was doing some good things and I felt like the game was starting to be slowing down for him, and he was able to make some of the throws and make some of the plays that we’d seen in other leagues and other places.”
Walker was a relatively high-profile addition for the Stampeders given his NFL experience. He went 5-4 as a starter with the Carolina Panthers and Cleveland Browns, completing 54.6 percent of his passes for 2,135 yards, six touchdowns, and 16 interceptions.
The native of Elizabeth, N.J. also impressed in the XFL, leading the league in passing yardage and passing touchdowns during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
Though Vernon Adams Jr. remains entrenched as Calgary’s starting quarterback, it appears Dickenson remains comfortable with Walker as the primary backup — assuming, of course, his shoulder makes a full recovery.
The Calgary Stampeders finished third in the West Division standings in 2025 with an 11-7 record but lost the West Semi-Final to the B.C. Lions. Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 4,247 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions over 17 regular-season starts, posting a 11-6 record as the team’s starting quarterback.
The Stampeders ranked fourth in net offence, seventh in net defence, and second with a turnover differential of plus-nine. Dedrick Mills won the CFL’s rushing title with 1,409 yards, while the team’s leading receiver was Dominique Rhymes with 886 yards, and leading tackler was Jacob Roberts with 102 tackles. Calgary finished fifth in attendance with average crowds of 22,295, which was a 3.5 percent increase from the previous year.
