The Dallas Cowboys’ linebacker search just got a lot narrower.
With Jordyn Brooks no longer on the table after the Miami Dolphins gave him a three-year, $51.3 million contract extension earlier this week, Dallas needs another answer. That answer could be Bobby Wagner, and there are plenty of reasons the Cowboys should make the move.
Start with the simplest one: he would make the position better right away. Wagner is 36, so he’s not the same player he once was, but he’s still performing like one of the league’s top off-ball linebackers.
He posted an overall 78.6 PFF defensive grade, which ranked ninth among 88 qualified players at the position. His 93.3 run-defense grade was fifth, and his 92.4 pass-rush grade checked in second.
Coverage was the one area where he slipped, finishing 51st with a 51.1 grade.
The second reason is the kind of value that doesn’t always show up in a highlight reel: experience. Wagner has been an ironman for years, starting at least 15 games every season since 2015 and all 17 games in each of the last two seasons.
Dallas doesn’t have anyone close to that level of starting experience at linebacker. The closest is Dee Winters, who has 27 career starts.
Wagner’s years in the league would give the Cowboys a veteran presence they currently lack, along with a natural mentor for a young group on and off the field.
Then there’s the safety net factor. DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters are projected to open training camp as the starters, with third-round pick Jaishawn Barham right behind them on the depth chart.
Beyond that, the options thin out fast. Adding Wagner would give Dallas not just a proven player who still performs at a high level, but also a full-time starter if Overshown doesn’t develop the way the Cowboys hope.
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