This Seahawks defense has undergone an almost total transformation from their peak years in 2013-2015. Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril and Kam Chancellor are all retired. Earl Thomas and Richard Sherman are elsewhere and K.J. Wright is a free agent at the moment.
The one piece that hasn’t changed over the years is the guy in the middle of it all. Bobby Wagner is going into his 10th season in the NFL and he’s somehow still performing at a Hall of Fame-worthy level. Heading into the 2021 campaign, he’s been named the best off-ball linebacker in the league by Willie McGinest at NFL.com.
“Wagner is the full package and has been a model of consistency throughout his career. . . Wagner has maintained his dominance thanks, in part, to his ability to read and identify formations and quickly diagnose plays, allowing him to always be in the right place.”
Father Time is as yet undefeated, so at some point Wagner’s game is going to fall off. It’s remarkable that it hasn’t yet after playing a decade at such a physically demanding position.
After 150+ games including the playoffs, seven Pro Bowl selections and six All-Pro nods, Wagner is still going strong.
