Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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General Manager Brian Gutekunst brought Wagner back home to help replace one of the team's longest-tenured players in right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Wagner admits he won't challenge David Bakhtiari for the title of most outgoing individual on the Packers' offensive line room but he brings a wealth of NFL experience to Green Bay.
A former walk-on at Wisconsin, the eighth-year veteran has carved out quite a career for himself since entering the league with Baltimore as a sixth-round pick in 2013.
He started three seasons for the Ravens before signing with the Detroit Lions as a free agent in 2017. While many assume the right tackle spot is Wagner's to lose in Green Bay, he's not expecting anything to be simply handed to him.
"There's no guarantees that you're going to start anywhere," Wagner said. "Just got to go out there and prove that I can win that starting job and I'm happy for that opportunity."
Wagner overcame quite a bit of adversity last year, including a knee injury that sidelined him for the final month of the season. The one silver lining to the Lions releasing Wagner in March was it enabled him to take a visit to Green Bay before nationwide stay-at-home orders went into effect due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Wagner passed his physical with the Packers and signed the contract. Although he didn't have the benefit of a traditional offseason program, Wagner used the team's virtual sessions to not only get a feel for the offense but also introduce himself to his new teammates in Green Bay.
"He's a great dude," said center Corey Linsley of Wagner. "He's taken a lot better and a lot calmer to the playbook adjustment than some of us did last year. That speaks to probably his intelligence and his discipline that he had over the offseason to get the playbook and study it."