Falcons Labeled Landing Spot for $118 Million Star Defender

The Atlanta Falcons have yet to really fill the vacancy linebacker Kaden Elliss left with his return to the New Orleans Saints this offseason. CBS Sports's Carter Bahns, though, argued the Falcons could change that in a major way before the 2026 NFL Draft.

Bahns named Atlanta one of six potential landing spots for former All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner.

"Run defense was a weakness last year for the Atlanta Falcons, who surrendered the ninth-most yards and 4.6 per attempt," Bahns wrote. "This is a team that wants to win at the point of attack but clearly cannot do so with its current setup. Kaden Elliss is out after starting every game over the last three years, so inside linebacker is perhaps the Falcons' greatest need.

"If they want to go for it in 2026 and push to take over a wide-open NFC South, bolstering the run defense and filling a positional need with one fell swoop is a great place to start. Wagner is there for the taking."

Wagner completed his 14th NFL season last fall. During 2025, he remained one of the best in the league at 35 years old, posting 162 combined tackles with eight tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.

According to Spotrac, Wagner has earned about $118.5 million in his NFL career.

What Bobby Wagner Could Bring to Falcons

Wagner will turn 36 before the start of the 2026 campaign. Clearly, he's a short-term solution.

He's also coming off a year where he played nearly every snap for one of the worst defenses in the league. And in 2025, he didn't make an All-Pro team or the Pro Bowl for the first time in 12 years.

That could be some cause for concern.

That, though, is pretty much the end of the con list when it comes to Wagner.

According to the Pro Football Focus players grades from last season, Wagner was a top-five linebacker among the players at the position who lined up for at least 80% of his team's snaps.

Wagner is one of the best linebackers in the NFL this century. He's not the same player in coverage, but as Bahns explained, the Falcons could use a run stopping linebacker.

Even at 36 years old, Wagner would be a huge boost for Atlanta's run defense. He'd also bring a tremendous veteran presence.

Wagner has played in 219 games. He's rarely been injured thoughout his career even as he's aged. In fact, Wagner hasn't missed a game since turning 30.

He's also won the Super Bowl and played in another.

Why the Falcons Should Pursue LB Bobby Wagner

The Falcons could use Wagner because they lost Elliss in NFL free agency.

Elliss played nearly every Falcons defensive snaps last year, as Wagner did for the Commanders. Elliss led Atlanta with 107 combined tackles while also recording 10 tackles for loss, 10 quarterback hits, six pass defenses, 3.5 sacks and an interception.

Wagner would fill the gap left from Elliss very well. He could even offer an improvement in run defense.

The Falcons signed linebackers Christian Harris and Channing Tindall in NFL free agency. But neither are the player Wagner is.

And even with Harris and Tindall, the Falcons could use additional linebacker depth with all the Elliss snaps the team needs to replace.

For that reason, Bahns isn't the first analyst to link the Falcons to a free agent linebacker. On March 30, Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport called on Atlanta to sign linebacker Logan Wilson.

Wilson is an intriguing potential target. But Wagner should be the preferred option, especially if money isn't an issue.