5 critical observations from Commanders 2024 training camp Day 5
By Dean Jones
Bobby Wagner setting the standard
Bobby Wagner is a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer in waiting. There isn't much the perennial All-Pro linebacker hasn't accomplished throughout a glittering career. His decision to join the Washington Commanders this offseason represented a significant statement of intent from this ambitious project.
Wagner is firmly in the twilight of his playing days, but the impact he can make on and off the field is astronomical. He's already raised standards and emerged as a locker room leader. The former second-round selection is setting the tone and showing what it takes to reach the pinnacle. That's somewhere the Commanders haven't been in decades.
When discussing the importance of setting the correct standards, Wagner wants his teammates to establish their identity and live up to the lofty expectations on their shoulders after wholesale changes across the roster. There's a long way to go, but the second-level enforcer is confident things are heading in the right direction based on comments via the team's website.
"I think as far as the team, you want to figure out who are you going to be, and it's more so setting a standard and understanding what you're going to bring to the table every single day. Because once that standard's set, you have to live up to that. And so you have days where you may not hit that mark, and you should have the people around you tell you the truth and raise your level. And everybody's raised their level."
- Bobby Wagner via Commanders.com
Wagner and Frankie Luvu will be at the forefront of Washington's defensive culture shift. This has the makings of an outstanding linebacker tandem - something that can propel the Commanders' defense to great things and provide more freedom for others to flourish along the way.
Breaking his career-high in tackles last season indicates Wagner has some good football left before eventually hanging up his cleats. The Commanders did a nice job of surrounding the veteran with energy at all three levels to minimize the risk of exposure. If everything comes together quickly, this unit will be a force in 2024.