{"id":847390,"date":"2026-04-01T15:49:17","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:49:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/847390\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T15:49:17","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T15:49:17","slug":"hes-a-stud-brian-schottenheimer-is-clearly-a-big-fan-of-potential-dallas-cowboys-free-agency-target","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/847390\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;He&#8217;s a stud&#8217; &#8211; Brian Schottenheimer is clearly a big fan of potential Dallas Cowboys&#8217; free agency target"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Dallas Cowboys need a linebacker, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows it. He also happens to be a big fan of a free agent who could alleviate his team\u2019s problem. <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1842\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_28627691-scaled.jpg\" class=\"attachment-1280 size-1280 wp-post-image\" alt=\"Mar 31, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer during the 2026 NFL Annual League Meeting at the Arizona Biltmore.\" loading=\"lazy\"  data-hero=\"atoz-hero\" \/><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s a thing you should know about Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer: He\u2019s a very enthusiastic, high-energy, always-in-a-good-mood guy. <\/p>\n<p>When he\u2019s being interviewed, that translates to honesty in front of the mic. Which is why I think his recent comments about a potential free agency target that the Cowboys could sign before the 2026 season matter. <\/p>\n<p>The A to Z Sports NFL mock draft simulator offers a deeply customizable and data-driven experience with never-before-seen features.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/draft-simulator.atozsports.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Try the mock draft simulator today<\/a>, before the 2026 NFL Draft arrives!<\/p>\n<p>Schottenheimer praises free agent LB Bobby Wagner<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Appearing on Kay Adams\u2019 Up &amp; Adams Show, Schottenheimer was asked about his take on Wagner, who remains a free agent. The Cowboys head coach didn\u2019t hide his excitement. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou\u2019re looking at one of the biggest Bobby Wagner fans in the world, being in Seattle with him for three years and watching him compete and just talk trash in a good way,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cI love that guy, and he\u2019s still playing at a high level. So we\u2019ll see how everything works out. It\u2019s an exciting time of year, but Bobby Wagner, total stud.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Schottenheimer noted the Cowboys had made unsuccessful runs at other free agent linebackers but failed to sign them\u2014though he didn\u2019t name them, Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are on that list. <\/p>\n<p>Wagner makes sense for the Cowboys<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wagner makes sense for the Cowboys at several levels. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s the complete solution to Dallas\u2019 lack of a middle linebacker. He will be 36 years old when the season starts and his coverage in 2025 was an issue (more on that later). <\/p>\n<p>But it\u2019s not like the Cowboys can be choosers here. With the top free agents gone, their chances to land a top-tier linebacker appear to be down to using a first-round pick (it\u2019s difficult to expect a rookie to succeed with the green dot right away) or making a big-time trade before the season\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys-news\/at-least-one-step-closer-toward-making-a-trade-for-an-all-pro-linebacker-jordyn-brooks\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/nfl\/dallas-cowboys-news\/at-least-one-step-closer-toward-making-a-trade-for-an-all-pro-linebacker-jordyn-brooks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">perhaps for the Dolphins\u2019 Jordyn Brooks?<\/a> <\/p>\n<p>Wagner can be a bridge starter while the Cowboys are comfortable playing a rookie, and more importantly, he can be a valuable mentor in the locker room. His age and declining coverage likely make him a very inexpensive free agent target. <\/p>\n<p>Wagner can be a \u2018great help\u2019 for the Cowboys<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more insight on who Wagner is today, I reached out to our own Josh Taylor from A to Z Sports Washington. His take? The Cowboys could really use the veteran and six-time first-team All-Pro. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCommanders HC Dan Quinn said the door is open for Bobby Wagner making a return, but then he also went on to say that they love their LB room,\u201d Taylor says. \u201cI don\u2019t see it happening after adding Leo Chenal, with the possibility of drafting Sonny Styles as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWagner is still one of the best tackling LB\u2019s in the NFL, but his drop in coverage was very notable in 2025, and the Commanders had no choice but to upgrade,\u201d Taylor adds. \u201cTeams were matching up against Wagner in coverage and exploited him often. He could still be a great help for the Cowboys, but they need to be cautious of his liabilities and continue adding to the LB room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/USATSI_27042589-1-200x200.jpg\" alt=\"Sep 7, 2025; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Green Bay Packers defensive lineman Rashan Gary (52) during the game against the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.\" itemprop=\"image\" loading=\"lazy\"   width=\"200\" height=\"200\" style=\"object-position:44% 22%\"\/>\t\t<\/p>\n<p class=\"query-card-horizontal__category is-style-eyebrow\">Dallas Cowboys News<\/p>\n<p class=\"is-style-body-small\">The biggest knock on the Dallas Cowboys\u2019 trade for Rashan Gary was just shut down by the Green Bay Packers themselves. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/tag\/bobby-wagner\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bobby Wagner<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/atozsports.com\/tag\/brian-schottenheimer\/\" rel=\"tag nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brian Schottenheimer<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Dallas Cowboys need a linebacker, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer knows it. He also happens to be&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":847391,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2066],"tags":[1740,2886,230,229,257,2461,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-847390","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-dallas-cowboys","8":"tag-bobby-wagner","9":"tag-brian-schottenheimer","10":"tag-cowboys","11":"tag-dallas","12":"tag-dallas-cowboys","13":"tag-dallascowboys","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116330247357773335","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847390","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=847390"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/847390\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/847391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=847390"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=847390"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=847390"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}