ASHBURN, Va. — Bobby Wagner tackles people for a living. By people, we mean all of them.
The 13-year linebacker finished the 2024 regular season, his first as a member of the Washington Commanders, with 132 combined tackles. That raised Wagner’s career total to 1,838 and his all-time ranking from seventh to fourth. Another 10 and he passes Junior Seau for third. With 222 tackles, the ex-Seattle Seahawk and Los Angeles Ram eclipses London Fletcher (2,039) and Ray Lewis (2,059) for the all-time combined tackles record.
What an incredible achievement to consider. That’s about the future. The Athletic presented Wagner with a challenge about his past: Could he recall which players he tackled the most? Unsurprisingly, the 10-time All-Pro took on the test.
The menace in the middle matched Fletcher as the only players in league history with at least 100 combined tackles in 13 consecutive seasons.
Teammates and coaches from the playoff-bound Commanders chimed in (in italics) about the inevitable Hall of Famer’s impact on Washington’s magical season. Zingers are included.
The chat, including Wagner’s thoughts on some bruising backs and legendary foes, was edited for clarity, length and flow. Data is courtesy of TruMedia.
Standig: The top 10. Go.
Wagner: Running backs?
Standig: In the top 10, yes. The entire top 20, actually.
Wagner: It has to be someone from the 49ers, Rams or Cardinals. Maybe the Panthers. We played them a lot.
(Wagner spent 12 of 13 seasons in the NFC West — 11 with Seattle, one in L.A. — before switching coasts.)
Wagner: Tackled the most, I don’t know. Frank Gore?
Standig: Sixth.
Wagner: Todd Gurley!
Standig: No. 1. You tackled him 46 times before he retired. (Injuries forced Gurley to step away after his sixth season.) That particular matchup stood out, I assume.
Wagner: Playing against him (10 times) was dope, man. I knew his story coming out of (Georgia). He was amazing at what he was doing and what (the Rams) asked him to do. Special back. I believe he won Offensive Player of the Year, right?
Standig: In 2017, after winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015.
GO DEEPER
Bobby Wagner teaching Commanders winning ways through lessons learned: ‘Share your scars’
(The pondering continued. Not knowing when Wagner would be called into a meeting, I offered a hint.)
Standig: Some of the guys are still in the league.
Wagner: (Christian) McCaffrey?
Standig: No. 5 (29 times tackled by Wagner).
(Another round of deep thought consideration.)
Standig: You played one of these guys this season.
Wagner: Hmmm. I don’t know.
Standig: James Conner.
Wagner: James Conner! Why didn’t I know that? Oh, David Johnson.
Standig: Both Cardinals came after Gurley. Conner (37), then Johnson (33).
Wagner: Both of those guys are amazing. James was always one of the toughest guys to bring down. Just the strength, power, balance and speed was really cool. I remember one game against David Johnson where we met at the goal line in overtime with the score tied 6-6 — and finished 6-6.
Arizona used him differently. It was crazy. I think (now-Commanders offensive coordinator) Kliff (Kingsbury) was his head coach when he had one of the craziest screens I’ve ever seen. It was like a double fake throwback and they had everybody lined up on the right side. He was just by himself.
(As Wagner, 34, reminisced about the Johnson screen, Jayden Daniels, Washington’s 24-year-old star rookie quarterback and Wagner’s little brother on the team, chimed in.)
Daniels: 2009?
Wagner: 2019. Was that when you were born?
Daniels: That’s when I graduated from high school.
Wagner: You did not graduate high school in ’09. I graduated in ’08.
Daniels: Damn!
Wagner: (Chuckles) Relax. When did you graduate?
Daniels: ’18.
Wagner: Damn. I forgot I was older than you. Crazy.
“I mean, it’s super, super amazing (playing with Wagner). I’ve been watching Bobby since I was a kid. We tell him that all the time (laughs). He knows how important he is on this team. To have his leadership, experience and knowledge, he gives so much back to the locker room. It’s amazing.” — Commanders 27-year-old defensive end Dorance Armstrong.
“His study habits are crazy. The dude has seen so much the game slows down for him. That’s something I pick his mind about.” — Commanders linebacker Frankie Luvu.
“Bobby Wagner is annoying.” — Daniels.
It wouldn’t be a Bobby Wagner moment without a Jayden Daniels cameo. pic.twitter.com/WMnmwfVh9h
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) January 9, 2025
Standig: Not a fantastic hint, but No. 4 is outside the NFC West.
Wagner: That could be anybody.
Standig: Week 6 (silence). Derrick Henry (30). You two are deep into your careers and still cranking out strong seasons.
Wagner: People put limitations on athletes. There are many of us, but not all of us are the same. From the moment (Henry) got into the league, he was visibly not the same, but his production was different than everybody else. He was a very hard person to tackle. I had 20 tackles in one game against the Titans, and we lost the game. They just kept giving him the ball (Henry had 182 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 35 carries in Week 2 of the 2021 season). You can keep him under wraps, and then, one play, he takes off. He has the speed to score a touchdown. We’ve seen it this year.
Standig: You mentioned Gore. The Seahawks and 49ers were battling for the NFC West crown early in your career. As the middle linebacker, did that make facing him a personal challenge?
Wagner: He was one of the slipperiest people to tackle because the hole would be this big (holds up his hands with palms facing a few inches apart). He could fit into like gaps, and his vision was crazy. The way he set up blocks was crazy. It reminded me of how Marshawn (Lynch) set up blocks.
Standig: You referenced Alvin Kamara earlier with our group. He’s in the top 10.
Wagner: He has some of the best balance I’ve ever seen from a running back. He can just stay on his feet — whether he gets hit, he just runs with speed. It’s impressive. He can do it between the tackles and run routes like a receiver. That’s what makes him really tough.
One of the best in the game#ProBowlVote @Bwagz#WPMOYChallenge @Bwagz pic.twitter.com/v3NhV6H7CF
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) December 21, 2024
“I was sitting in the team meeting room the day we discussed tackling and breaking tackles. For Christmas, (special teams coach) Larry Izzo showed highlights of the season. Sitting next to (safety) Jeremy Reaves, I said, ‘Look at this!’ It was (Bobby’s) body position, the squareness, the wrapping. I said, ‘This is amazing.’ Different styles of tackles, one-man tackles, tracking. Maybe there were a hundred clips. Watching 54 (Wagner’s jersey number) was a reminder of how square he tackles … and the ground he covers. The clips had a lot of players in them, but (Bobby) was there a lot, as you might imagine. I said (to Reaves), ‘Man, this is pretty cool.’” — Commanders coach Dan Quinn
Standig: Looking well outside the top 20, I noticed you tackled Randy Moss once in your rookie year (2012), which was his last.
Wagner: I remember that. He did like a deep curl, and I tackled him. I remember thinking it was crazy he was still playing — and that I tackled Randy Moss. That was cool. The same with Tom Brady. Lining up against him, “Oh, damn, it’s Tom!”
Standig: Regarding quarterbacks, do you know which one you tackled the most?
Wagner: Cam (Newton)?
Standig: Second.
Wagner: (Colin) Kaepernick?
Standig: Yes, Kaepernick (11).
Wagner: He was amazing, bro. I played him in college (Wagner starred at Utah State, Kaepernick at Nevada). He was good at running the ball. (The 49ers) did a lot of unique things with him. It was tough in their run game trying to figure out where the ball was.
Standig: Do you have a favorite tackle or one you would put in a Bobby Wagner highlights package?
Wagner: I don’t think about it like that with a favorite, but that David Johnson goal-line stand was a good one. There are guys I like going against. Gurley, Johnson, Saquon (Barkley), Adrian Peterson and others.
Standig: You ever let Adrian shake your hand?
Wagner: We were together in Seattle one year — but I didn’t let him shake my hand.
“He’s a textbook tackler. We talked about how he watches the film and picks up on (offensive cues). That lets you feel the game flow and know where the ball goes. He also takes away a lot of my tackles. Sometimes, I feel like I’m about to make the tackle, and he wraps the guy up.” — Commanders safety Quan Martin
Standig: You’ll reach third place no later than the second game next season. Then it’s catching up to the top two, Fletcher and Lewis. Does that blow your mind as someone who grew up wanting to play on this stage?
Wagner: It’s special because it’s not only the guys you looked up to, but also the guys that have helped you. Ray and London were very gracious with their time. Mike Singletary. You’re with great players and guys who also gave back to the game.
Bobby Wagner reached out to all-time great LB London Fletcher back in 2019.
Now, Wagner is chasing Fletcher in 100+ tackle seasons. 👏 (h/t @NickiJhabvala) pic.twitter.com/Puqf8UdwAU
— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2024
(Other tackle tidbits: Wagner dropped Kamara (24) twice in Week 15, moving the Saints running back to seventh, one spot ahead of Carlos Hyde (23). Larry Fitzgerald (20) is first among receivers and tied with Ezekiel Elliott to round out the top 10. Then Najee Harris and Matt Breida, followed by Alexander Mattison and Peterson. Lamar Jackson (nine) is third among quarterbacks. Zach Ertz isn’t in the top 20, but Wagner tackled him most among his current teammates.)
“(Bobby and Jayden) are two California guys and two real competitors. But Bobby, in his unique way, mentors many people. He does have a rare impact on this team. I’ve got a lot of gratitude for him, of the trust to sign here when I’m sure he had plenty of options.” – Quinn, who was Wagner’s defensive coordinator for the 2013 Super Bowl champion Seahawks.
“I didn’t know Bobby at all. Obviously, I knew of him but didn’t know him personally. Ever since I got here, we hit it off. He’s like a big brother to me and everything. Always talking game … and cracking jokes.” — Daniels.
Did you get him anything for Christmas? “No,” Daniels added.
(Photo: Timothy Nwachukwu / Getty Images)
