It almost makes too much sense at this point.

The Dallas Cowboys, no matter what they do in the NFL draft later this month, will need to add a veteran linebacker. There has been ample discussion about trade possibilities to help at the position, but talks with the Steelers, Dolphins and Texans have apparently gotten nowhere. So the Cowboys have a pretty big hole, with Kenneth Murray and Logan Wilson now in free agency and the team certain not to bring either back after terrible 2025 showings.

The Cowboys are sure to draft a linebacker somewhere along the line in two weeks, whether they stretch for one at No. 20 or move down to the early second round to take someone like Jacob Rodriguez, CJ Allen or Anthony Hill. Heck, they’ll probably take two linebackers by the time the draft is over.

But they will still need a reliable, veteran presence in the middle, even if he is not a guy who is going to be a long-term solution. The Cowboys should be looking long-term in the draft, but they should sign a short-termer, too — and there’s plenty of folks who want them to go in for Commanders star Bobby Wagner.

Bobby Wagner Would Be ‘Solid Addition’

Wagner is not a spring chicken, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing for a Cowboys team likely to have young players around him. He’s 35, but he has five All-Pro selections, 10 Pro Bowls and a Super Bowl ring. He has not missed a game since 2018, and last year, despite his advanced age, he was fifth in the NFL with 162 tackles.

Sports Illustrated’s Cowboys site says he should fit right in with Dallas. In an article titled, “3 Free Agency Signings Dallas Cowboys Can Still Make Under Salary Cap,” Wagner was No. 1 on the list.

Notes the site: “Dallas has yet to sign an off-ball linebacker and a veteran like Wagner could be a solid late addition in free agency. He signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the Commanders last offseason, but the Cowboys would need to get him to agree to much less than that.”

Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer Was With Bobby Wagner

It helps, too, that Wagner has some familiarity with Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer, who considers himself a big Wagner fan. Schottenheimer was the Seahawks’ offensive coordinator from 2018-20, and was opposite Wagner in practice for those three years.

As Schottenheimer told Kay Adams of the “Up & Adams” program: “I will say this: No. 1, we have made some really strong runs at inside linebackers. It hasn’t worked out. You’re looking at one of the biggest Bobby Wagner fans in the world. Being in Seattle with him for three years, and watching him compete, and talk trash in a good way, I love that guy. And he’s still playing at a high level.

“So, we’ll see how everything works out, it’s an exciting time of year. But Bobby Wagner, total stud.”

Cowboys Still Plan to Add Veteran LB

The Cowboys are known to have made offers to both Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker in free agency, but both turned them down to sign with the Raiders. They also sought to sign Devin Lloyd, the top linebacker on the market, but could not match the eye-opening three-year, $45 million deal he signed with the Panthers.

But the Cowboys still plan to add at linebacker. As owner Jerry Jones said last month: “We want to get better there with personnel. We’ve been trying very much to make some trades. They haven’t worked out for us there, but that won’t deter us from getting better there.”

At 35, Wagner isn’t the long-term answer — but he doesn’t need to be. What he is is proven, durable, and respected. Five All-Pro nods, ten Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl ring, and a 162-tackle season that ranked fifth league-wide last year. That résumé doesn’t just fill a hole; it raises the floor for an entire young linebacker room while the Cowboys build for the future through the draft.

If the price is right — and the Cowboys can get him well below the $9 million he earned in Washington — this is the kind of veteran bridge that turns good drafts into great defenses.

Dallas, the door is open.

Bobby Wagner, the “total stud,” might just be ready to walk through it.