Bills named best landing spot for Commanders $7 million future Hall of Famer

The Buffalo Bills need to beef up their defense in 2026 and the linebacker position could use some love.

The Bills have four pending free agents at the position, but the most notable of the bunch is veteran Matt Milano, who started in all 12 games he played in.

Milano remains unlikely to return, though. He didn't play well in 2025 and is injury-prone, and the Bills simply can't keep relying on him for a major role.

With Milano likely gone, the Bills are staring at a starting duo of Dorian Williams and Terrel Bernard and that simply isn't good enough for a team trying to improve its defense and compete for a Super Bowl.

Neither player is particularly impressive, and Bernard has had issues staying healthy in recent years. At the very least, Buffalo needs a veteran presence.

Pro Football Focus' Mason Cameron has a suggestion and it involves the Bills signing linebacker Bobby Wagner, who spent the last two seasons with the Washington Commanders.

Cameron views the Bills as the best landing spot for the future Hall of Famer, who Spotrac projects will land a one-year, $7.7 million deal in free agency.

Here's Cameron's thoughts on signing Wagner:

Wagner is another high-performing veteran whose market is worth watching. Although Wagner, at nearly 36 years old, isn’t near the player in coverage he once was, he still excels as a run defender and a blitzer. This season, he stood as the only linebacker to produce 90.0-plus PFF grades in run defense (90.3), pass rushing (92.4) and tackling (90.5). 

The Bills struggled to fit the run in 2025, ranking 28th in rushing success rate (33.1%) allowed. Their linebacking corps was a contributing factor, as the group's 27.3% negatively graded run-play rate ranked 30th. With Matt Milano‘s and Shaq Thompson’s contracts set to expire, finding a savvy veteran to overhaul the group would be wise. 

There's a real possibility Wagner returns to Washington, but with general manager Adam Peters saying the Commanders need to get "younger and faster," there's no guarantee the veteran will return.

While Wagner is long in the tooth at 35 years old, he showed he still has plenty left in the tank after another strong season.

Among linebackers, Wagner finished fifth in run defense grade, second in pass-rush grade and seventh in overall grade, per Pro Football Focus.

His 90.3 run defense grade will be of particular interest for a Bills team that finished 28th against the run in 2025.

Landing in Buffalo might be something that interests Wagner, as the Bills figure to be good enough to compete for a Super Bowl in 2026.

Connecting Wagner to the Bills definitely makes sense, but only time will tell if it'll actually happen.

More NFL news

• Raiders and Cardinals head coach rumors pinpoint front-runners for each job
• Raiders head coach rumor details candidates' concern about Tom Brady
• Steelers linked to $230M quarterback based on old McCarthy quote
• Raiders head coach rumor reveals failed push for Las Vegas' top choice
• Giants defensive coordinator rumor lists order of favorites for vacancy