The San Francisco 49ers weren’t afraid to go the veteran route to improve their team this offseason. Recently, the Niners have seen their name floated in the rumor mill, especially regarding other experienced players.
Veteran free agent linebacker Bobby Wagner showed during his past two seasons with the Washington Commanders. Last season with the Commanders, Wagner played 1,132 total snaps on defense, recording a 78.6 overall PFF defensive grade.
Moreover, the 35-year-old registered 107 solo tackles, 20 total pressures, five sacks, and eight missed tackles. Amid the speculation, 49ers on SI’s Grant Cohn shared his thoughts on Wagner being a serious option for the Niners.
“Would Bobby Wagner want to be a backup?” Cohn said in a May 21 video on his YouTube channel. “I’m looking at his football card over here, his stats. He started 17 games last year. He started 17 games the year before that. In 14 years, he has started 217 of the 219 games he has played. I don’t really know if he wants to come to the Niners and be a backup because he’s friends with K. J. Wright. He has made a lot of money.
“I don’t really see them getting Bobby Wagner, but again, why not sign someone if you have about $69 million in cap space and you have an older core of players and you’re clearly not the best team? Even if you thought you were the best team in the league, which they do, why not add more players? There’s no rule against it.”
Niners Insider on Team’s Linebacker Situation
Moreover, Cohn noted that the 49ers linebacker has a lot of question marks, whether it’s an injury concern or whether it’s if a young player can take that step in their development.
“Why not [sign Wagner]? Because it’s not like linebacker is a position of strength,” Cohn added. “It’s not like you have a ton of young talent there. It’s not like you believe in Nick Martin. That’s another one of your draft mistakes. You took Nick Martin in the third round when he was projected to go in the fifth or sixth round, but you reached, and everyone said, ‘Well, I guess the Niners know what they’re doing.’
“Then, a year later, you’re talking about signing Bobby Wagner right before he retires. Get one more year out of Wagner because Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw might not be able to hold up. Let’s just add one more guy who’s even older than both of them.”
49ers Floated as a Potential Landing Spot for Bobby Wagner
The reason for Wagner being in the speculation mill for the 49ers is due to a piece from FOX Sports’ Ben Arthur. With several veteran free agents still available, Arthur stated that the Niners would make sense for the former Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles linebacker.
“At 35 years old, Wagner is well past his prime,” Arthur wrote. “But he remains a very cerebral and effective player in the run game, coming off his 10th straight season with at least 130 tackles.
“It’s why he makes sense as a top backup option for the 49ers, who have injury concerns at both inside linebacker positions — former All-Pro Fred Warner is coming off a season-ending ankle injury, and Dre Greenlaw has played in just 10 games over the past two seasons combined. Wagner’s longtime Seahawks teammate, KJ Wright, is also San Francisco’s linebackers coach.”
Bobby Wagner Receives Clear Message Amid 49ers Speculation