Bobby socks ‘Hawks, Wagner will electrify LA Rams defense

Mentoring all of the younger linebackers

Some view the change in this LA Rams’ defensive philosophy as manifested in the 2022 Rams Free Agency signing of Bobby Wagner. The change actually occurred in 2021, when the LA Rams drafted rookie inside linebacker Ernest Jones with the 104th pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Prior to Jones, the Rams filled the role with late-round or undrafted players, built to occupy the space in the middle of the defense, not so much to convert it into a no man’s land for opposing offenses. Jones is meant to be more than a squatter in the heart of the LA Rams defense. And for his rookie season, he wound up a frantic pace that truly made opposing offenses far more wary of testing the middle.

But now along comes Bobby Wagner. And you can almost hear the lyrics of Charlie Daniels’s The Devil Went Down To Georgia song as he joins the Rams’ defense

• When Ernest Jones finished, Bobby said, “Well, you’re pretty good, ole’ son But sit down in that chair right there And let me show you how it’s done”

To the inexperienced, being at the right place to make the play, particularly from the inside linebacker position, is an art form. But to the experienced veterans like Bobby Wagner, it’s simply experienced deductive reasoning.  And all of that experience, wisdom, and veteran leadership to the Rams locker room.

It was clear that the veteran presence of Von Miller, in a rented mercenary role, was a huge boost to the Rams defense that had not enjoyed success prior to McVay. Miller changed all of that, even to the point of becoming a trusted counselor to the team’s defensive leadership of Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.

Now, Bobby Wagner takes up that yolk. He is a Los Angeles native. For whatever else his current contract does, it opens up the opportunity for BWagz to play for the Rams for the next five years, not the next five months. And he won’t just mentor Ernest Jones, but also Travin Howard and Christian Rozeboom.  He will even help mentor outside linebackers as well.

Leadership is more than just demonstrating how to play on the football field. It’s about the presence of calm approachability in the locker room. I believe that Bobby Wagner will exceed all expectations for the LA Rams in that area.