FRISCO, Texas — Bleacher Report named free-agent linebacker Bobby Wagner the best available fit for the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday. Three days earlier, safety Malik Hooker and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown were both hurt in a 28-20 loss to the New York Giants.
For the piece, Alex Kay went through five unsigned veterans and matched each one with a team that picked up injuries in Week 1. Wagner came last among the five, paired with Dallas.
According to Kay, Wagner could step in and give the Cowboys’ defense a boost right away. When Overshown is ready to come back, Kay wrote that Wagner could shift into a rotational backup role and still contribute in certain situations. Kay described the pairing as “a perfect fit for both sides.”
Wagner, who turned 36 on June 27, re-signed with the Washington Commanders on a one-year contract in March 2025. That deal ran out this March, and he has not signed with a team since.
Bobby Wagner’s 2025 Season With the Washington Commanders
Last season, Wagner started all 17 games for Washington. He had 162 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and 2 interceptions. It was his fourth straight season without missing a game, and he has topped 100 tackles in every season of his career.
Wagner played Dallas twice last season. In Week 7 at AT&T Stadium, he had 8 tackles in a 44-22 Cowboys win. When the teams met again on Dec. 25, he finished with 10 tackles and half a sack in a 30-23 Dallas win.
The Seattle Seahawks took Wagner 47th overall out of Utah State in 2012. Through 14 seasons, his 2,000 career tackles are the most of any active player. He has made 10 Pro Bowls and six first-team All-Pro teams. His most recent Pro Bowl came in 2024, a year he was also second-team All-Pro, and he won the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award for the 2025 season.
Dallas Cowboys Linebackers Without DeMarvion Overshown
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer updated both injuries Monday. Overshown’s hamstring strain could cost him one to two weeks, Schottenheimer said.
Hooker had surgery scheduled for Tuesday to repair a fractured forearm. “So we’re hoping it’s a two week window,” Schottenheimer said, per DallasCowboys.com.
Against New York, Overshown made 7 tackles. He also served as the defense’s main communicator in the opener.
With Overshown out, Schottenheimer pointed to Dee Winters as the most experienced linebacker on the roster. The other names he gave were rookie Jaishawn Barham, Shemar James, practice-squad veteran Curtis Robinson, and Justin Barron.
The Cowboys looked into Wagner once before. Seattle released him in March 2022, and Dallas explored a deal while Dan Quinn was the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator. Quinn had coached Wagner in Seattle. According to Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, it did not work out, and Wagner signed with the Los Angeles Rams in his hometown.
Leaving Seattle was not Wagner’s choice. “For me, I never really wanted to leave in the first place,” Wagner said in April 2023, per FOX 13 Seattle. He later told CNBC that the mutual interest with Dallas “was a real thing,” CBS Sports reported.
In 2024, Quinn took over as Washington’s head coach. He brought Wagner to the Commanders that March. This August, the Cowboys signed edge rusher Von Miller, and Wagner went into Week 1 still without a team.
Washington visits AT&T Stadium at 3:25 p.m. CT Sunday, with FOX carrying the game. After that, Dallas travels to Rio de Janeiro to face the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.
