The Dallas Cowboys defense still needs a middle linebacker, and the NFL Top 100 list just reminded everyone of one of the best options available. And he happens to be an 11-time All-Pro who still makes sense to sign going into training camp.

Potential Cowboys FA target Bobby Wagner makes the Top 100

Wagner was voted as the No. 81 best player overall by his peers. Every year, NFL players vote for the Top 100 players in an exercise marketed by the league. Though a highly subjective way of ranking players, it’s a fun way to celebrate the best players in the league. 

“The timeless linebacker continues to rack up standout seasons at the tail end of his Hall of Fame career,” writes Bobby Kownack of NFL.com. “Wagner has never fallen short of triple-digit tackles in a season through 14 years in the league, and he now sits third all time — just 59 behind Ray Lewis’ record — with 2,000, per Pro Football Reference.”

Wagner is a free agent who could fill the Cowboys’ most glaring defensive hole. At 36 years old, the veteran linebacker continues to produce at an elite level, and Dallas would be wise to seriously consider adding him before the 2026 regular season. I know many of you reading this are asking: Wait, a 36 year old linebacker?

The truth is his age has done little to slow him down. Let’s break it down. But first, here

Wagner’s durability and production defy his age

Wagner earned All-Pro honors every single year from 2014 to 2024, a stretch that includes six First-Team selections and five Second-Team nods. Four of those Second Team honors came from 2021 to 2024, meaning he collected them in his 30s. If the age concerns scare you, those accolades should calm your nerves.

The durability numbers are equally staggering. Wagner has played 16 or more games every season since 2019. He played and started 17 games for the Washington Commanders in 2025, logging 99% of their defensive snaps. That is otherworldly for any linebacker, let alone one who turned 36 in late June. Wagner has played at least 98% of his team’s defensive snaps nine times in his career, per Next Gen Stats.

And then there’s the run defense. NextGenStats credited Wagner with 69 run stops in 2025, the second most in the NFL. He is as steady of a quarterback for the defense as there has been in his or any era.

Why the Cowboys need what Wagner brings

If you look at the Cowboys’ defensive roster, the one thing they’re missing is that prototypical, big-sized middle linebacker. Dallas has Dee Winters and Marvin Overshown, both of whom are coverage-type linebackers whose specialty is speed. They’re run-and-hit players, and both raise concerns when it comes to imagining them as a thumper at middle linebacker.

Overshown in particular profiles better as a sideline-to-sideline missile than as someone asked to be physical in the box at MIKE. Signing Wagner gives the Cowboys a certified run defender, which is exactly what this defense is missing.

The concerns are real, but manageable

There is some bad to the idea, and I wouldn’t ignore it. The Cowboys have worked hard on team chemistry during OTAs and minicamp, training Overshown and Winters at middle linebacker. Bringing in one of the most important players on the defense right after training camp would be a discouraging sign when it comes to communication and team-building.

That is to say, if it’s going to happen, I’d like it to happen over the next couple of weeks. Not in late August. 

Wagner may not have signed with a team yet because he wants to skip the dog days of training camp and simply show up for the regular season. That wouldn’t be anything new. Veterans at that stage of their career consistently take that approach, and it’s less about laziness than it is about taking care of their bodies.

The other legitimate concern is pass coverage. Wagner struggled in that area with the Commanders in 2025, and that’s a significant limitation for any NFL defense in today’s game. However, even if the Cowboys want him as a rotational player rather than someone logging nine out of every 10 snaps, Wagner still makes sense.

What the right approach looks like

I would question the Cowboys’ process if Wagner arrives and is suddenly installed as the starting middle linebacker without earning the job. But if he comes in and competes for the role in training camp, that would be the ideal scenario.

His peers just told you he’s still one of the 100 best players in the NFL. That’s the latest evidence that Wagner isn’t done yet, and that you’re still getting a certified defender if you sign him at 36. The Cowboys shouldn’t be scared away from the idea. For now, we wait and see if it happens.