Should Bobby Wagner Become Top Dolphins Target at LB?
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There was some big news around the NFL on Thursday afternoon — and, no, we're not talking about Aaron Rodgers ending his retreat.
Rather, it was the report that the Los Angeles Rams and veteran Bobby Wagner mutually have agreed to part ways, making available a future Hall of Famer and still one of the best off-the-ball linebackers in the NFL.
There will be — or at least should be — plenty of suitors for Wagner's services and the Miami Dolphins absolutely should be one of them.
WHY BOBBY WAGNER WOULD BE A GREAT FIT FOR MIAMI
While he spent most of his career as the middle linebacker in the Seattle Seahawks' 4-3 base defense and the Dolphins will employ mostly a 3-4 look under new coordinator Vic Fangio, Wagner did play last year in the Rams' 3-4 scheme.
Oh, and he played like he always played, which is to say very well.
While he failed to be selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time since the 2013 season, Wagner extended his All-Pro streak to nine seasons when he earned second-team recognition.
Wagner finished the 2022 season with a career-high six sacks among his 140 tackles and had two interceptions, and was Pro Football Focus' highest-graded linebacker.
Perhaps most impressively, he was charged with only two missed tackles, per Pro-Football-Reference. That ranked third among fewest missed tackles for any player credited with at least 100 tackles — Seattle's Cody Barton had 136 tackles and one missed tackle, and Buffalo's Tremaine Edmunds had 102 tackles and one missed tackle.
While he's played 11 seasons, Wagner figures to have some good years left, considering he turns only 33 in June.
Wagner also has been durable, missing only three games over the past eight seasons.
For the Rams, the move was based on salary-cap reasons, while Wagner is looking for a chance to win a championship sooner rather than later.
The Dolphins having made the playoffs last season certainly could be a team he would consider.
WHY THE DOLPHINS NEED BOBBY WAGNER
The Dolphins defense has some legitimate talent at several spots with players like defensive lineman Christian Wilkins, edge rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelen Phillips, cornerback Xavien Howard and safety Jevon Holland.
What it doesn't have is a difference-maker at linebacker.
Jerome Baker has been a good starter since arriving as a third-round pick in 2018, but he doesn't necessarily qualify as an impact player.
The other two off-the-ball linebackers who saw meaningful playing time last season were Elandon Roberts and Duke Riley, and both of them are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents March 15.
Regardless of what happens with any of those three, Wagner would represent a significant upgrade and the kind of move a team that's smelling a Super Bowl opportunity would make.
Wagner was scheduled to make $7.5 million in base salary in 2023 with $8.5 million for each of the next three seasons, but now he'll be negotiating from scratch.
He figures to be less pricey than Edmunds, who's a pending free agent who also would represent a great pick-up for the Dolphins.
Wagner is more like Lavonte David, who also is a pending UFA and would be a nice addition to the defense should he decide to leave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and return to Miami, where he played his high school football.
Like Wagner, David is an 11-year veteran who will be 33 when the 2023 season kicks off. He's just not quite as accomplished and productive as Wagner.
In the final analysis, the Dolphins would do well if they could pick any of those three off-the-ball linebackers for Fangio's defense. But Wagner clearly would be at the top of the list if Miami can pull it off.
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