‘Rare competitor’ Bobby Wagner aims to bring his winning experience to the Washington Commanders

Bobby Wagner has a resume unlike anyone who has played football in Washington in many years. “You just go to him to get some knowledge,” said defensive tackle Daron Payne, who’s going into his seventh NFL season. “Just a good vet guy that you can go to, talk to about anything.” Coach Dan Quinn, whose first defensive coordinator job in the league came with the Seahawks in 2013, still remembers Wagner — then in just his second professional season — answering every question posed about what was being introduced. And so that’s one of the coolest parts of our game is when now you get to pass that along to the next one, and the very best players do that.” Wagner learned from a young age from Seattle teammates Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman and took it a step further, talking to legendary linebackers such as Mike Singletary and Ray Lewis about how to command a unit. “I think the middle linebacker position always naturally you’re a leader because you call the plays, you have to relay the messages and you’re the one that tends to communicate the most in most cases.” Communicating plenty on and off the field, though new general manager Adam Peters and Quinn did not sign Wagner to a contract worth up to $8.5 million to just be a teacher.