Bumpus: Wagner’s return to Seahawks has exceeded expectations
Oct 14, 2023, 9:52 AM | Updated: 9:56 am
Bobby Wagner of the Seattle Seahawks takes the field prior to the game against the Rams on Sept. 10, 2023. (Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
(Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
It might be strange to think that a future first-ballot Hall of Famer has been exceeding expectations for the Seattle Seahawks this year, but that’s exactly what Michael Bumpus thinks is the case with linebacker Bobby Wagner.
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After spending the first 10 years of his career in Seattle, Wagner was released last offseason and went to the Los Angeles Rams, where he once again was an All-Pro. After being released by the Rams, Wagner returned to the Seahawks on a one-year deal, and he’s played exceptionally well through the team’s first four games.
“You know what? I feel weird even saying this, but it’s the OG Bobby Wagner, man,” Bumpus said during Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy on Seattle Sports. “He has exceeded my expectations. I didn’t expect him to be as active as he is.”
Wagner already has 50 tackles and two sacks this year, meaning he’s on pace to surpass his numbers from last season.
“I’m looking at the way that he’s playing downhill. Of course he’s not the Bobby Wagner we saw when he was in his early- to mid-20s, but he’s a guy who’s relying on his savviness to make these plays,” Bumpus said. “And I feel like he feels he doesn’t have to make every play. You’ve got Jordyn Brooks on one side of him, you’ve got a defensive line, especially a guy in (Jarran) Reed, who’s occupying the big bodies on the line to keep him clean.
“I’m looking at Bobby Wagner and I’m saying dude, you’re having a good season. Did I expect him to have a horrible season? Of course not. It’s Bobby Wagner. But I didn’t expect to see the explosiveness and the downhill play that we’ve seen out of him, and the numbers are backing him up. So Bobby Wagner number 54, he’s doing his thing, man, and exceeding expectations. Expectations were already high for this dude, but he’s still exceeding them.”
Listen to the full second hour of Wednesday’s Bump and Stacy at this link or in the player near the top of this story.
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