Many experienced players are becoming street free agents ahead of the start of the 2022 NFL next Wednesday, and that’s no surprise, since that’s normal. A few days ago, the Seattle Seahawks clipped veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner, causing several Pittsburgh Steelers fans to foam at the mouth. With Wagner now on the street, fans had high hopes that the Steelers would sign Wagner. On Thursday, NFL Network’s Aditi Kinhabwala spoke a little about Wagner and the possibility of him joining the Steelers during the offseason.
“The Steelers also need to do something to bolster their inside linebackers,” Kinhabwala said Thursday on the NFL Network. “A name we hear a lot these days is Bobby Wagner. I actually texted the trainer yesterday and said I really think it would be a great idea to bring him to town. And he said, “When did you ever stop telling me what you think?”
So what does this even mean? Okay, Kinhabwala wrote to the coach to give his opinion. Does this mean the Steelers are dropping Wagner’s name, or just her? Seems like an irresponsible way of framing it all, doesn’t it? I don’t think you’ve ever seen someone like Will Graves of the Associated Press do a story like this. I’m just saying. Kinhabwala then tweeted something about Wagner that included her own thoughts on the matter.
Let’s just declare it: the fastest way to get #Steelers inside LB to look and play better? Bringing Tyson Alualu and Stephon Twitt to the aid of Cam Hayward.
(But yes: I would love to see Bobby Wagner at PIT. Would love Devin Bush to learn from him.)— Aditi Kinhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 10, 2022
After Kinhabwala tweeted the above, I pushed for her report and actually got nowhere as her response was a vague word salad much like a TV report. See below.
As far as I know, the Steelers are (as always) scrutinizing all options. But… as athletic as Wagner is, he may not be as physically aggressive as the team used to like his ILB to be. The question here is that the protection changes something? I do not know this.
— Aditi Kinhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) March 10, 2022
Immediately after Kinhabwala’s report surfaced, Jordan Schultz decided to come up with his own report. I must be honest; I don’t really know who he is or where he’s from, but he has a verified account, so here’s the thing. Schultz claims the Steelers are genuinely interested in Wagner, as are several other teams.
A league source just told me that #Steelers also interested in Bobby Wagner. Add another $30 million AFC team to the list of potential contenders.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 10, 2022
Head hurts, right?
Look, Wagner is a great midfielder, and has been for a long time. Now that he’s out on the street, he’s sure to have a big market. He’s also well into his 30s. If you’ve been following the Steelers since 2000, you know they don’t have a lot of history when it comes to signing players aged 31 or over who have never played for the team before to multi-year contracts for more than a minimum. The list is real, very short. At the moment it’s pretty much Mike Jones and Melvin Ingram.
Does Tomlin think much of Wagner? Absolutely so. Just go back to last season when the Steelers played the Seahawks.
“Bobby Wagner, their man in the middle: linebacker for all occasions; it’s been over a decade for them,” Tomlin said last season ahead of the Steelers’ game against the Seahawks. “I have a lot of respect for his work and his business, his details, his communication, his leadership. All this is very noticeable when you watch their cassette. So many things go through him. He provides a lot of fluidity for those guys. It’s very rare that they’re out of place together, and I think it all started with him.”
Tomlin now speaks enthusiastically of many players on opposing teams throughout the season, so take that quote for all that it’s worth.
Personally, I think Wagner is the best fit for the Dallas Cowboys given that Dan Quinn is their defensive coordinator. He was Wagner’s defensive coordinator from 2013 to 2014 with the Seahawks. According to NFL insider Ed Werder, Quinn considers Wagner to be the greatest linebacker he has ever coached. Werder expects Quinn to encourage Dallas to sign Wagner.
Let’s see how it ends with Wagner. Personally, I’ll be a little surprised if Wagner signs with the Steelers.