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Defensive Notes

Bobby Wagner

Prolific tackler now in new defense

I'm uncertain how high to rank Bobby Wagner in the 2022 IDP rankings. On the one hand, he turns 32 next month and Seattle evidently feels his best football is behind him; they released him. There's the uncertainty of him now joining a new team. On the other hand, a step slower or no, he's still awfully productive.

Last year Wagner had a career-high 170 tackles (in 16 games). It was his sixth straight year with at least 130 tackles; in those six years, only two other players (B-Lak-E Martinez and Joe Schobert) have done it more than twice. Year in and year out, he's produced, and he'll step right into a starting job with the Rams. There's some uncertainty but betting against him at least going for 120-plus -- which would have placed him firmly in the top 20 for tackles a year ago -- looks unwise. He might go for over 130 again, finishing in the top 12.

Older player, but he's missed only 3 games since 2014. I'll take that track record of durability, and hope he's got at least one more highly productive year in him.

In terms of cumulative tackles across those six straight 130-tackle seasons, no other player even comes close. Wagner has totaled 905 tackles over the past six years, over 150 per season average. That's 215 more than the next player.

TOTAL TACKLES, 2016-2021
PlayerGSoloAstComb
Bobby Wagner95526379905
Eric Kendricks86420270690
Blake Martinez80428258686
Demario Davis96460219679
Joe Schobert93406255661
Lavonte David87464181645
De'Vondre Campbell91405203608
Zach Cunningham76377219596
Jordan Hicks84384204588
Landon Collins78398166564
Vonn Bell93383176559
Jordan Poyer85393165558
Anthony Hitchens87311232543
Harrison Smith92399142541
Budda Baker78393146539
Darius Leonard58343195538
Jaylon Smith74330206536
Tahir Whitehead80372156528
K.J. Wright85310216526
Roquan Smith61348176524
Shaq Thompson86335189524
Kevin Byard97365154519
Myles Jack88335178513
Christian Kirksey65318192510
C.J. Mosley63329177506
Fred Warner64332172504
Luke Kuechly57319182501
Malcolm Jenkins96374122496
Benardrick McKinney77294202496
Cory Littleton95312183495

Search tools at pro-football-reference.com were used in compiling this table.

I'm not doubting that Wagner was more of a difference maker earlier in his career. His best seasons for sacks and fumbles, for example, were prior to last year (just 1 of each). But Wagner does have two games against Seattle, and he'll probably bring a little extra to the table those weeks. In any case, for tackles alone he should remain a top-10 type of option in 2022.

--Andy Richardson

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