Washington Commanders HC Dan Quinn Praises LB Bobby Wagner: 'Remarkable Competitor'

Washington Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner will provide a strong veteran presence on the roster.

Aug 17, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn along the sideline during the third quarter against the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders had plenty of turnover from a season ago. This checks out after the club posted a 4-13 record. Change was needed, and the new ownership group made sure it happened.

Strong additions happened all around, with the main one being No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels, fresh off a Heisman campaign at LSU. On the defensive end, the most eye-popping addition might be Bobby Wagner, an incredible linebacker who has played an illustrious career.

READ MORE: Washington Commanders Notebook: Kingsbury's Offense and Jeff Driskel Goes Deep

The coaching staff is just as fresh as the front office, and head coach Dan Quinn is a fan of having the all-time great linebacker on the roster to usher a new era into Washington. He spoke on Wagner and his presence on Wednesday.

“Yeah, what a remarkable competitor he is," Quinn said. "...just the details that he would go to the
willingness to get it right. And he was just always so consistent, even as a second-year
player, you may have thought he had already been in the league four or five years."

Wagner is coming off a season that saw him post a career-high 183 tackles. As a 34-year-old, the linebacker might be on one of the last teams of his NFL career. Still, his brief return to the Seattle Seahawks proved he has plenty left in the tank.

"So he had this consistency and professionalism about him that showed people they could
really rely on him very early," Quinn continued. "And now you see that he's sharing that information with others. And if you were to sit in the linebacker room, you would see them asking him or
what is that process like? Just the smallest of the details."

Again, the 34-year-old will be an incredible veteran within the defense. With the Commanders looking to shift the culture, having Wagner around will be invaluable. He's also still an incredible player as it pertains to his on-field production, though.

"So what I have seen is just, he's a remarkable tackler. He's got instincts, but, all the really good linebackers who are good tacklers or safeties for that matter can play square," Quinn explained. "And if you're watching the film of Wags, you barely see him out of position and he plays square, he is a sure tackler, but just it's the angles, the tracking. It's like probably watching like in basketball a good shooter or in baseball, a good hitter. He is a remarkable tackler, and he takes the right angles, the right tracks to go to it, and so, he's always been somebody that I look for in that example.”

With a fresh roster on Washington and changes within the franchise from top to bottom, the Commanders are looking to build off the four-win season and begin turning towards winning ways, in which Wagner will play a big part.

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READ MORE: Washington Commanders Swap Linebackers and Safeties in Latest Roster Moves

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