12 Most intriguing Seahawks: No. 9, LB Bobby Wagner
Jul 16, 2018, 9:55 AM | Updated: 10:02 am
Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner recorded 1.5 sacks and 97 tackles last season. (AP)
(AP)
Mike Salk and Brock Huard are counting down the 12 most intriguing Seahawks players every weekday morning at 9:30 a.m. leading up to the first day of training camp on July 26. (All 2018 Seahawks Training Camp dates and times can be found here.)
The pair continued the countdown Monday morning by focusing on their No. 9 pick: linebacker Bobby Wagner.
At a glance
Bobby Wagner is one of just a handful of players remaining from the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII-winning roster, heightening the importance of his veteran presence on Seattle’s young defense. Outside of the locker room, Wagner is a Pro-Bowl caliber player in a front seven that now lacks defensive ends Michael Bennett and Cliff Avril, and defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson. He is the only Seahawk who is rated No. 1 league-wide in their position group by Pro Football Focus (the outlet gave Wagner a grade of 96.7 for 2017).
Wagner started all 16 games last season and finished the year with 97 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries, and one touchdown. He missed just three tackles on 971 snaps, making him the league’s top-ranked inside linebacker in combined tackle efficiency (per PFF).
Seahawks LB Bobby Wagner: People ‘sleeping on the talent we have’
Brock’s take
Huard calls Wagner “the captain” of Seattle’s defense.
“This intrigue has nothing to do with his play; that speaks for itself,” Huard said. “Any metric you want out there, he’s either the best middle linebacker or he’s the second-best behind Luke Keuchly. That’s it. So there’s very few peers when it comes to the quality of play that Bobby has brought to the table year in and year out. But that’s not where the intrigue comes from.
“It’s actually pretty fortuitous timing with the conversation we just had about where this team is; losing it’s way, and Richard Sherman trying to scorch earth on his way out the door. Well, you know what scorched earth provides? A lot of opportunity for growth in some time. And that time is now for Bobby Wagner.
“He’s going to become the voice of this defense; there is simply no question about it. That will not be Earl Thomas’ role, whether he gets a deal here or not, whether he sits out or he plays. Michael’s voice is out, Cliff’s voice is out, Richard’s voice is out, Kam’s voice is out, Earl’s voice is going to be out. There’s one big voice left. And I think that voice has to grow to match the game for this defense to play at the level it needs to play at.”
Salk’s take
“Look, Bobby Wagner is great player,” Salk said. “He’s got the stopping power of a bull, he’s an immense football player who has done incredible things on the field for the Seahawks and shown no signs of slowing down recently. If anything, he’s actually started to play better, which I think you can do at middle linebacker. It’s a position you can age into.
“But the question is the very first word you used to describe him: captain. Is he a captian? That’s why I’m so intrigued with Bobby Wagner. He’s a great guy, he’s a great, great teammate and a great player. The question is, what kind of a leader will he be? We already heard him start that process. We heard him be the one to reach out to Earl Thomas to try to get him in here and fix this thing. That is the act of a leader trying to reach out to Earl Thomas, and I think he deserves a lot of respect for it. The question is: how effective will he be at it? And I’m not suggesting he won’t be, but that’s why I’m intrigued with Bobby Wagner.
“Last year you already saw them start to turn. He started representing them more and becoming the more vocal, outward leader of the Seahawks. But the question is: what does that look like moving forward for him?”
Previous picks: No. 12, LB Shaquem Griffin. No. 11, WR Tyler Lockett. No. 10, LT Duane Brown.
