Quandre Diggs, roaring fans honor Bobby Wagner on his return day to Seahawks training camp
Quandre Diggs sensed the moment. And he’s been around football — and heroes — long enough to know what to do.
The ninth-year, Pro Bowl safety turned to the fans already yelling Bobby Wagner’s name minutes into Seahawks training camp Wednesday. Standing next to Wagner, Diggs raised his arms, asking for more noise. The crowd on the grass berm watching the start of practice obliged. Loudly.
Diggs grabbed the blue hood that Wagner was wearing beneath his white practice jersey, as he always does. It was draping over and concealing the “WAGNER” sewn in blue over “54” on the back of the six-time All-Pro linebacker’s jersey number 54. With the hood in one hand, Diggs pointed to Wagner’s name.
The crowd roared some more.
Wagner turned to them. He bowed and pressed the palms of his hands together to thank the people for their welcome.
The occasion? Wagner’s return. His first preseason practice back to where he began his NFL career with the Seahawks as a rookie second-round draft choice in 2012. Back to Seattle.
Back to, as he’s said he will always call it, “home.”
Wednesday’s start of training camp was Wagner’s first practice for the team since January 2022. Two months later the Seahawks ended his wondrous, decade-long run with them that included two Super Bowls, the six All-Pros, eight Pro Bowls and a lifetime of friendships and memories. The Seahawks cut Wagner in March 2022 to save $16 million in salary-cap space, the same day they traded Russell Wilson to Denver.
Wagner played last season with the rival Los Angeles Rams.
Yet he kept his home, and his heart in Seattle.
Wednesday, the crowd watching the first practice of 2023’s training camp at the Virginia Mason Athletic Center returned the love.
Wagner wasn’t just a figurehead honoree on his return day. He ran sideline to sideline as the inside linebacker and signal caller on Seattle’s remade defense.
He showed he will be — in location, role and spirit —the centerpiece of the defensive front seven that must improve for the Seahawks to have any chance at dethroning the physically dominant San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West this season.
Wednesday when rookie wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a bubble-screen pass from Geno Smith in scrimmage play and ran past almost every defender 50 yards, there was only one defensive player running with the 21-year-old first-round pick at the goal line.
It was the 33-year-old Wagner.
“He’s the consummate leader,” said coach Pete Carroll, who brought Wagner into the NFL with Seattle 11 years ago. “He understands how important it is to send that message. That’s why he did it. He shows them how to play.
“He’s never not been that way.
“I’m thrilled.”
As Wednesday showed, so are Seahawks fans.
When practice ended, they crowded down the berm to the bottom of it, clamoring by name for just one player to come over from the field. Wagner did.
He signed cards. He signed footballs. He signed miniature helmets. He signed a homemade sign that read “WELCOME BACK BOBBY #54” in blue, green and white.
He grabbed the microphone of the field host who had been describing the day.
“Thank you for your love,” Wagner told the fans.
“I see all your tweets. Everybody outside, I appreciate y’all. I’m excited for this season. And that first game is going to be a blast.”
It is Sept. 10 at Lumen Field in Seattle. Against the Rams.
“Yeah, I’m definitely going to hit some Rams,” Wagner said.
“I’m excited to hear you guys be as loud as you can. It’s going to be fun. That last game (of the 2022 season) when I played out here (for the Rams) I really felt the love.
“So I’m excited that I’ve got the right colors back on.”
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 6:00 PM.
