Seahawks: 3 replacements for Bobby Wagner if Seattle releases him
By Lee Vowell
De’Vondre Campbell
Signing De’Vondre Campbell would likely mean Jordyn Brooks sliding over to Bobby Wagner’s middle linebacker position and this would be excellent. No offense to Wagner who is still a very good player while a bit less impactful on splash plays than he used to be, but Brooks is Benny Blanco to Wagner’s Carlito Brigante. Both are great but Wagner is aging and Brooks is the new Wagner.
Campbell will be just 29 years old and could play for another three years at a high level. He isn’t likely to get a lot of sacks or quarterback hits but Brooks’ position in 2021 didn’t really require this either. Campbell can fill Brooks’ position and make the overall defense faster.
This means Brooks can create even further chaos than he hinted he was capable of this past season. Brooks led Seattle in tackles for loss and had 3 quarterback hits but from his weakside linebacker spot getting to the quarterback was more difficult.
The signing of Campbell (who was in on 146 tackles in 2021) allows Seattle to still tackle well but also be better in coverage. Pro Football Focus gave Campbell a grade of 83.1 (second in the NFL among linebackers) in pass coverage too so adding him means better pass coverage in 2022 as well. And Campbell might only require a contract in the $6-7 million a year range which would be a big savings over Wagner.