Bobby socks ‘Hawks, Wagner will electrify LA Rams defense

Tackling machine

Imagine any LA Rams player recording 170 tackles in one NFL season? Head coach Sean McVay has never had a player put up that many tackles in one season.  In fact, the highest total for any defensive player during McVay’s tenure was the 134 tackles amassed by ILB Cory Littleton in 2019.  After going back 30 years of the Rams’ history, no player over that time had a hand in putting up 170 tackles.

Now imagine how the Rams’ “Aaron Donald effect” will kick in for a player who arrives on the team, having 93 solo tackles and 170 combined tackles the previous season?

Bobby Wagner knows how to play defense.

Solo tackles record potential

When it comes to the NFL record books, the league has only recorded the number of solo tackles in their record books. Right now, Bobby Wagner’s best season, 2017, recorded 97 solo tackles. I believe that he will challenge the LA Rams record holder of 108 solo tackles set by St. Louis Rams great ILB James Laurinaitis in 2009.

What makes me believe that a veteran heading into this 11th NFL season can suddenly put up career-high numbers? Well, for starters, Bobby Wagner just got a wake-up call in terms of how he is viewed by the NFL. Secondly, if ILB Cory Littleton can put up 90 solo tackles in the Rams’ defense, but only struggle to put up 56 solo tackles for the Las Vegas Raiders (a 38 percent drop), then the opposite should hold true.  Wagner’s 97 solo tackles, amplified by that same 38 percent AD inflator, project Wagner’s totals into the 130-135 solo tackles realm. That would place Bobby Wagner into the Top-5 NFL Single Season All-Time Tackle Leaders.

That feels about right, doesn’t it?