Around the NFL

April 01, 2022

Bobby Wagner

Rams add difference-making defender

People who scoff at the salary cap will feel justified by what the Rams have been able to do. Loaded with stars and tight against the cap at the start of the offseason, they've been able to hand out two of the larger contracts of free agency. First to Allen Robinson, and now to Bobby Wagner.

The deal was reported as five years and $50 million, and there's doubtless some padding going on there. Wagner turns 32 years old in June, and won't be playing out that deal. But if he's slipped, it's not readily apparent -- he still looks like one of the game's elite playmakers.

Tackles, for sure. Over the last six years, there have been 63 seasons where a player had at least 130 tackles. Wagner has done it all six seasons, including a career-high 170 (in 17 games, of course) last year. He's also been an All-Pro in five of those years.

But Wagner supplements those tackle numbers (which occasionally ordinary players in favorable situations can generate) with a lot of playmaking ability. He's also had 14 sacks in those years, and put 57 hits on quarterbacks. That includes four of the top eight seasons in that regard among the league's 130-tackle players. Guy can do it all.

(Numbers were a little down in 2021 in that regard, for those who want to argue he's lost a step. But still, looks like a strong addition to the Rams Defense.)

Data from pro-football-reference.com was used in compiling the below table, which shows all of the league's 130-tackle players over the last six years, sorted by QB hits.

DEFENDERS WITH 130-PLUS TACKLES, 2016-PRESENT
Year	Player	Team	Pos	Comb	Sk	Solo	Ast	Comb	QBHits
2016	Bobby Wagner	SEA	MLB	167	4.5	85	82	167	18
2020	Devin White	TAM	LILB	140	9.0	97	43	140	16
2017	Demario Davis	NYJ	RILB	135	5.0	97	38	135	15
2017	Bobby Wagner	SEA	MLB	133	1.5	97	36	133	13
2020	Bobby Wagner	SEA	RILB	138	3.0	81	57	138	11
2018	Darius Leonard	IND	LLB	163	7.0	111	52	163	8
2016	Zach Brown	BUF	LILB	149	4.0	97	52	149	8
2018	Bobby Wagner	SEA	MLB	138	1.0	84	54	138	8
2021	Foyesade Oluokun	ATL	MLB	192	2.0	102	90	192	7
2019	Jordan Hicks	ARI	RILB	150	1.5	93	57	150	7
2016	Christian Kirksey	CLE	RILB	148	2.5	96	52	148	7
2016	Kwon Alexander	TAM	MLB	145	3.0	108	37	145	7
2020	Blake Martinez	NYG	LILB	151	3.0	86	65	151	6
2021	De'Vondre Campbell	GNB	LB	146	2.0	102	44	146	6
2018	Blake Martinez	GNB	LILB	144	5.0	91	53	144	6
2017	Joe Schobert	CLE	MLB	144	3.0	87	57	144	6
2020	Joe Schobert	JAX	MLB	141	2.5	84	57	141	6
2020	Roquan Smith	CHI	LILB	139	4.0	98	41	139	6
2017	Christian Kirksey	CLE	LLB	138	3.5	86	52	138	6
2019	Luke Kuechly	CAR	IL	144	0.0	81	63	144	5
2021	Eric Kendricks	MIN	LB	143	5.0	81	62	143	5
2019	Cory Littleton	LAR	IL	134	3.5	78	56	134	5
2017	C.J. Mosley	BAL	LILB	132	1.0	96	36	132	5
2018	Luke Kuechly	CAR	MLB	130	2.0	93	37	130	5
2019	Eric Reid	CAR	SS	130	4.0	97	33	130	5
2020	Zach Cunningham	HOU	LILB	164	3.0	106	58	164	4
2021	Roquan Smith	CHI	LB	163	3.0	95	68	163	4
2019	Bobby Wagner	SEA	MLB	159	3.0	86	73	159	4
2020	Jaylon Smith	DAL	RLB	154	1.5	89	65	154	4
2021	Kyzir White	LAC	LB	144	1.0	90	54	144	4
2021	Deion Jones	ATL	MLB	137	2.0	87	50	137	4
2020	Neville Hewitt	NYJ	RILB	134	2.0	91	43	134	4
2019	Joe Schobert	CLE	ML	133	2.0	89	44	133	4
2021	Jordyn Brooks	SEA	LB	184	1.0	109	75	184	3
2021	Bobby Wagner	SEA	LB	170	1.0	93	77	170	3
2021	C.J. Mosley	NYJ	LB	168	2.0	103	65	168	3
2019	Blake Martinez	GNB	IL	155	3.0	97	58	155	3
2021	Denzel Perryman	LVR	LB	154	0.0	102	52	154	3
2019	Zach Cunningham	HOU	RILB	142	2.0	99	43	142	3
2019	Jaylon Smith	DAL	MLB	142	2.5	83	59	142	3
2016	Preston Brown	BUF	RILB	139	1.0	79	60	139	3
2021	Fred Warner	SFO	LB	137	0.5	79	58	137	3
2016	Alec Ogletree	LAR	MLB	136	0.0	98	38	136	3
2018	Telvin Smith	JAX	LLB	134	1.0	100	34	134	3
2016	Paul Posluszny	JAX	MLB	133	1.5	97	36	133	3
2020	Darius Leonard	IND	LLB	132	3.0	86	46	132	3
2019	Budda Baker	ARI	FS	147	0.5	104	43	147	2
2016	Sean Lee	DAL	RLB	145	0.0	93	52	145	2
2017	Preston Brown	BUF	MLB	144	0.0	84	60	144	2
2017	Blake Martinez	GNB	RILB	144	1.0	96	48	144	2
2021	Cole Holcomb	WAS	LB	142	1.0	83	59	142	2
2021	Alex Singleton	PHI	LB	137	0.0	81	56	137	2
2018	Anthony Hitchens	KAN	LILB	135	0.0	81	54	135	2
2021	Bobby Okereke	IND	LB	132	1.0	89	43	132	2
2021	T.J. Edwards	PHI	LB	130	1.0	64	66	130	2
2018	Leighton Vander Esch	DAL	RLB	140	0.0	102	38	140	1
2019	Todd Davis	DEN	RILB	134	0.0	78	56	134	1
2016	Zach Orr	BAL	RILB	133	0.0	92	41	133	1
2019	K.J. Wright	SEA	RLB	132	0.0	67	65	132	1
2018	Mason Foster	WAS	RILB	131	1.0	81	50	131	1
2021	Tae Crowder	NYG	LB	130	0.0	64	66	130	1
2017	Deion Jones	ATL	MLB	138	1.0	91	47	138	0
2016	Tahir Whitehead	DET	MLB	132	0.0	99	33	132	0

--Andy Richardson

Bobby Wagner

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