Why Matt Eberflus would want the Chicago Bears to sign Bobby Wagner

Tuesday saw the NFL explode with major news throughout the day. The Chicago Bears found out the fate of Aaron Rodgers, and it appears they’ll have to deal with him for a little while longer.

Aside from Rodgers staying in Green Bay, the Seattle Seahawks traded quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, who were also in on Rodgers before he ultimately chose to stay.

The Seahawks didn’t stop with dealing Wilson, though, as the rebuild looks imminent. Seattle also chose to part ways with 6-time All Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner.

Now looking for a new team, Wagner will have plenty of suitors. However, the Bears actually make a ton of sense for the 8-time Pro Bowl selection.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus should be all-in on signing free agent Bobby Wagner.

The Bears have their weak side linebacker in Roquan Smith, but the other two spots are up for grabs. There’s no telling what the team will do with Danny Trevathan, but many outlets wonder if they end up cutting ties with the veteran who has failed to stay healthy as of late.

Wagner, meanwhile, would come in as a perfect fit in Eberflus’ 4-3 defense. For much of his career in Seattle, Wagner played in a base 4-3 defense. So, he’s at least familiar with the scheme.

This guy is a true middle linebacker, too. He’s built for the position — and Eberflus should know, as a former linebacker himself.

Eberflus played linebacker at Toledo before starting his coaching career there as well. Over his 3-year career playing for Toledo, Eberflus racked up a whopping 325 tackles. He was a tackling machine — much like Wagner.

Eberflus was an outside linebackers coach for Toledo from 1996-1998 before taking over their defensive backs.

From there, though, Eberflus went on to coach the linebackers for the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys before getting his chance as a defensive coordinator in Indianapolis.

If he understands any position better than another, it’s linebacker. Eberflus already has two excellent pass rushers in Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, plus Smith as his mainstay linebacker at the moment.

Imagine if this defense added Wagner to the fold. They would be borderline unstoppable. From there, all they’d need to do was address the secondary and maybe a defensive lineman.

If anything, Wagner would take this defense from good to great, and that would help franchise quarterback Justin Fields immensely. Putting your young, developing quarterback in good field position is a staple in building confidence and rhythm.

Last season, Wagner posted a career-high 170 tackles. He may be 31 years old, but he isn’t slowing down in the least bit. He’s right in the thick of his prime and has only missed two games since 2015. Health is on his side. Productivity is as good as it’s ever been.

Bringing Wagner to Chicago would be a slam dunk by Eberflus and Ryan Poles.