The Commanders’ Stefon Diggs move gave the NFC East a jolt, and Dallas has a pretty direct way to answer it.
Washington finally filled the long-running hole next to Terry McLaurin, landing Diggs after an exhausting search for a reliable No. 2 receiver. There are obvious warning signs with Diggs, but there’s no denying the production.
Last season, he finished 10th in yards per route run and sixth in passer rating when targeted, according to Pro Football Focus. For a Cowboys rival, that’s a major addition.
Dallas, though, can yank some of that attention right back by making a move of its own. Not the Maxx Crosby fantasy - that would do the trick, sure, but it doesn’t sound realistic right now. The cleaner swing is Bobby Wagner.
Wagner spent the last two seasons with Washington, and that alone makes him an interesting target. Taking him away would be a sharp little shot across the bow, especially since he knows Dan Quinn’s operation so well.
Any inside knowledge he brings would just be a bonus. The real draw is that he still has something left.
Let’s be clear: this is not old Bobby Wagner. He’s not the linebacker who used to terrorize offenses with splash plays and elite coverage work against tight ends and running backs. But he is still effective, and Dallas doesn’t need him to be anything more than that.
The Cowboys’ linebacker group already has the kind of athletic pieces that could make this fit work. DeMarvion Overshown, Dee Winters, and Jaishawn Barham bring speed, range, and physicality. That would let Wagner play to his strengths: experience, positioning, and instincts.
His year in Washington also came with a heavy dose of responsibility. He was asked to carry that defense, and the supporting cast around him was thin.
For a 35-year-old, that’s a brutal assignment. It shouldn’t be a surprise that his play came and went.
Dallas would put him in a much better spot. With Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark in front of him, Wagner wouldn’t have to absorb nearly the same load. And with Overshown, Winters, and Barham around him, he could stay focused on reading the play and cleaning up early downs.
He played 99 percent of the snaps last season, which says plenty about how much Washington leaned on him. In Dallas, that kind of burden wouldn’t be necessary.
No one is pretending Wagner is still a game-wrecker. Rumored Cowboys trade target Jordyn Brooks, who appears to be off the table, is a step above him at this stage. Even so, Wagner can still shut things down between the tackles on early downs.
The Cowboys probably aren’t in the market for a 36-year-old linebacker every day of the week. But if the goal is to make Christian Parker’s defense feel steadier right away, adding an experienced field general is a pretty sensible way to do it.
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Three Fringe Cowboys Are Forcing Their Way Into The Roster Fight
Training camp has a way of turning the bottom of the roster into one of the most interesting parts of the Cowboys summer, and that has been true again this week. Undrafted rookie Michael Trigg has drawn notice with the kind of practice work that keeps a fringe player in the conversation, while Curtis Robinson is picking up more responsibility on both defense and special teams as Dallas sorts through its depth before the first preseason game.
The same pressure is hanging over Sam Williams, who is still fighting for his place as the Cowboys sort out a crowded edge mix. For players in that tier, every rep matters because the coaching staff is looking for reliability as much as upside, and the next few practices will carry extra weight as roster decisions begin to take shape. [Read more 🡒]