The Dallas Cowboys were electric on offense last season, but their defense just couldn’t keep up. While head coach Brian Schottenheimer has made some important additions through free agency and the draft, there’s still a noticeable gap that needs to be addressed before September rolls around. With defensive coordinator Christian Parker now at the helm, the spotlight is firmly on the Mike linebacker spot.

“Brian Schottenheimer said he is “comfortable with where we are” at Mike linebacker, but they are always open for business if an opportunity arises,” noted Todd Archer of ESPN on X recently.

The Dallas Cowboys came into the 2026 offseason with a clear need at linebacker after a historically poor defensive showing in 2025. While Schottenheimer has said he’s comfortable with the group as it stands, many analysts still see a gap, specifically, the lack of a true middle (Mike) linebacker who can take on the “green dot” role and handle defensive play-calling.

But the Cowboys head coach also likes the way the group looks on paper.

“[But] at the end of the day, I think we’ve got a good group of linebackers and now it’s about training them with Christian [Parker] and Scott Symons and those guys and getting all on the same page with the system that we want to run.”

The Dallas Cowboys started working to fix their defense early in the offseason, making moves in March during NFL free agency. But linebacker remained one position they couldn’t immediately upgrade. That left a noticeable hole in the middle of the defense and fueled plenty of discussion throughout late March and April about how Jerry Jones might address it.

During the 2026 NFL Draft, the Cowboys made a move to address the position, trading a fifth-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers for linebacker Dee Winters. That addition helped quiet some of the concerns about the middle of the defense, though not completely, as Brian Schottenheimer continues to field questions about the group.

Winters is widely expected to step into a starting role. He started all 17 games for San Francisco last season, recording 101 total tackles along with eight tackles for loss, five pass breakups, and a pick-six. He wasn’t the only addition, either. While the moves didn’t grab major headlines, Dallas quietly reshaped its linebacker room this offseason by also signing Curtis Robinson in free agency and drafting Jaishawn Barham in the third round.

While the current Cowboys defense has a blend of the young and veterans, it doesn’t have a battle-tested leader with the necessary elite football IQ to steer the defense under the new setup of Christian Parker. Additionally, none of the LBs on the roster have proven experience as a Mike linebacker. That said, it becomes a big gamble ahead of the next season.

It’s a reason they need an experienced player with a track record of playing at the position, and the answer could be Bobby Wagner.

Free agent Bobby Wagner could be the answer to the Cowboys’ Mike linebacker search

Bobby Wagner was a second-round pick from the 2012 draft, which means he has played fourteen seasons in the NFL, representing teams like the Seattle Seahawks, the Los Angeles Rams, and most recently the Washington Commanders. As of now, the 35-year-old linebacker is still a free agent.

“You’re looking at one of the biggest Bobby Wagner fans in the world,” Brian Schottenheimer said at the NFL owners meeting earlier. “Being in Seattle with him for three years and watching him compete and just talk trash in a good way, I love that guy. And he’s still playing at a high level. So we’ll see how everything works out. It’s an exciting time of year, but Bobby Wagner is a total stud.”

The ten-time Pro Bowler played for the Seahawks until 2021, and Brian Schottenheimer worked as the offensive coordinator of the reigning Super Bowl champions from 2018 to 2020, when he saw him closely. Although age could be a factor, the LB has a remarkable ten Pro Bowl accolades to his name, including the latest coming in 2024.

Besides the remarkable NFL experience, he fits the criteria of the Cowboys due to his track record as a middle linebacker. He is widely known as one of the greatest Mike linebackers in the league’s history, having steered the Seahawks’ Legion of Boom from that position. A 219-game veteran, he feels like the final piece Jerry Jones needs to complete his defense.