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Feb 5, 2026; San Francisco, CA, USA; Bobby Wagner on the NFL Honors Red Carpet before Super Bowl LX at Palace of Fine Arts. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Rams Given Perfect Reason To Re-Sign Bobby Wagner

Originally posted on Los Angeles Rams on SI
By Brock Vierra | Last updated Mar 3, 2026 6:00 PM ET

WOODLAND HILLS, Ca. The Los Angeles Rams have many needs to address this offseason if they wish to rewrite the failures of last season. The Rams' inability to put pressure on Sam Darnold led to their demise in the NFC Championship Game.

This offseason, former Rams linebacker Bobby Wagner is set to hit free agency, and the Rams have the perfect reason to bring him back to his native Los Angeles.

Wagner's A Premier Blitzer

Pro Football Focus' Daire Carragher named Wagner the NFL's fourth-best blitz defender in 2025.

"Just one spot behind Witherspoon in PFF’s pass rushing grades, Wagner is still one of the most feared blitzers in the sport," stated Carragher. "The 35-year-old's blitz rate dropped from 9.1% last year to 6.8% this year, but his efficiency went in the opposite direction."

"Wagner registered 20 pressures and 4.5 sacks on 77 pass-rush snaps. His 92.4 PFF pass-rush grade is the highest of his 14-year career and his sixth season with a PFF pass-rush grade above 85.0."

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

"Wagner once profiled as a slightly undersized, incredibly explosive ball of muscle, but as the NFL has evolved over the course of his career, smaller linebackers have become more common. Instead of getting aged out of the league, the sport shaped itself around Wagner’s image."

"While he has undoubtedly lost a step, Wagner remains an incredibly useful veteran piece for any NFL team. He logged his 15,000th professional snap this past year, and his seventh straight season with a snap count in the quadruple digits."

How This Affects The Rams

Rams defensive coordinator Chris Shula loves to be in his beloved dime defense. The reason is because of Jaylen McCollough. Dime allows a defense to place six defensive backs on the field, paired with one linebacker and four defensive linemen.

On pass rushing downs, the Rams have the ability to bring five on the pass rush, with Wagner serving as a blitzing linebacker, while dropping six men into coverage.

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

There is little to no chance the opposition would keep only five men in protection, as that would give each Rams pass rusher a one-on-one matchup across the board. Thus, the opposition would have to keep a sixth protector, or risk having either four top pass rushers and the fourth-best blitzer in the NFL having a straight line towards the quarterback.

At that point, the passing attack becomes six on four. Six Rams defensive backs versus four eligible receivers. Considering Quentin Lake and Jaylen McCollough's ability to blitz, Shula would then have multiple options of when to bring pressure, disguise pressure, disguise coverages, and set up switch and bait movements with pre-snap looks turning into something different after the snap.

Wagner can then be rotated with Nate Landman to keep ranks fresh, allowing Landman and Speights to add more to the Rams' base run defense and their nickel defense. Plus, a fresh Landman is bound to induce a turnover at some point.

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