Bobby Wagner is one of the best players of his generation, and while he’s now on the older side, he can still be a valuable part of a defense. Selected in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, Wagner became arguably the most important player on the best defense of the 2010s. Sharing a field with Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, Kam Chancellor, and several other legendary players, Wagner became a 10-time Pro Bowler, six-time First-Team All-Pro, one-time Super Bowl champion, and even earned an MVP vote in 2014.
That version of Bobby Wagner no longer exists, but he’s still an above-average linebacker. Starting and appearing in 17 games for the Washington Commanders last year, the Utah State product finished the season with 162 tackles, eight tackles-for-loss, nine quarterback hits, two interceptions, 4.5 sacks, and a 78.6 PFF grade, the 10th-best mark in the league.
While he is still unsigned, a player like Bobby Wagner could help a contending team that could use more reinforcements on the defensive side of the ball. While the Commanders have yet to bring him back, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox believes he could join a new team in the NFC East.
“If Wagner is willing to join a former division rival, Dallas could provide a logical landing spot,” Knox writes. “The Cowboys are working to rebuild a defense that ranked 30th overall last season, and Wagner has a fan in head coach Brian Schottenheimer – who previously spent time alongside Wagner as the Seattle Seahawks offensive coordinator.”
Bobby Wagner Linked to Dallas Cowboys
This fit makes all the sense in the world and would be a perfect destination for Bobby Wagner. Despite his age, Wagner can still play, and he’d probably like to spend his final years with a team that has a realistic shot of going on a deep playoff run. Dallas already has the offensive pieces for this, as Dak Prescott is a top-10 quarterback and the wide receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens is second to none. However, the defense needs some work.
The Cowboys had arguably the league’s worst defense in the first half of the season last year, as the team desperately tried to adjust to a life without Micah Parsons. However, the unit improved in the back half of the season following the Quinnen Williams trade. While nobody would confuse the 2025 Dallas Cowboys with the 1985 Chicago Bears, the defense was good enough to win games.
Adding Bobby Wagner to the mix will only improve the Cowboys defense. They don’t need to be an elite unit to win games with that offense, and adding Wagner to the mix will ensure they’re at least an average unit.
