The Washington Commanders are counting on linebacker Bobby Wagner to usher in a new era of football in the DMV.
We knew there’d be new faces the next time we saw the Washington Commanders on the field.
To some extent, we were aware that a major chunk of the Commanders team would be transferred out in some way to create room for new members.
But I don’t think we had a clear understanding of how different Washington will appear in 2024 with general manager Adam Peters and coach Dan Quinn – also known as ‘DQ’ by players and those who know him – at the helm.
At least not until this week, when over a dozen new players were added to the Commanders roster for 2024.
One of them, All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner, arrives from the Seattle Seahawks, where he has a personal relationship with coach Quinn and linebackers coach Ken Norton Jr.
“I think there were a couple of factors,” Wagner said of his choice to travel to Washington. “I believe DQ and Norton were the major names to come and accomplish this.
“I just remember a lot of the great times obviously, but the leadership, mentorship, the fun that we had, that was kind of the biggest things.”
Much of the enjoyment stemmed from winning. Something Peters, Quinn, and Norton Jr. want to bring over from the West Coast, where they all had a lot of fun when playing in the NFC West.
While Peters has no direct professional experience with Wagner, he has seen enough of him as a rival of his former company, the San Francisco 49ers, to know he is getting a difference-maker on and off the field.
The mold that Wagner fits best, is the one Quinn and Norton Jr. are bringing with them from Seattle, even if they took detours to learn even more tricks of the trade along the way.
“I think DQ does an amazing job of just putting all the players in the right positions and getting the best out of everybody,” said Wagner. “And then Nort (is) one of my favorite coaches of all time, so that was enough for me.”
If it’s enough for Wagner, it’s enough for us. And it has most Commanders fans checking off the days until they get to see their new linebacker and coaching staff in action for the first time because it will truly be seeing this Washington team for the first time.
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