USA News Hub

Dan Quinn brought a number of former Cowboys with him when he became the Commanders head coach this offseason and he reached even further into his past to add a linebacker to the roster.

Quinn coached Bobby Wagner when he was the defensive coordinator of the Seahawks in 2013 and 2014, but he’s had to play against him since leaving Seattle for the Falcons head coaching job. He said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that one of his messages to his teams in those meetings was “do not let this person ruin this game” and that he’s happy to have Wagner back on his side because of what his presence will mean as the team installs a new defense in the coming months.

“He’s all that I love about football,” Quinn said. “He’s a tackler; he’s aggressive; he’s tough; he’s smart; he takes care of himself. What I’m hopeful to see — and I’m certain it’ll happen — he’s a multiplier. Wags is. Because this is how the standard is, this is how I operate, this is a process to go through. If you are a young linebacker being around somebody, this is the exact type of linebacker you’d want to be around. . . . Seeing that standard of how we operate. I thought that was really important, and so that’s why I’m so lit up about getting him here.”

Setting the standard is one thing. Finding players who can live up to it as often as Wagner has over his career is another and the Commanders will need a few for Quinn’s tenure to bring success back to Washington.