Saturday is a big day on the NFL calendar. The NFL world revolves around Canton, Ohio, commonly known as the birthplace of the National Football League. Why? It’s enshrinement day for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
On Saturday, the Pro Football Hall of Fame will enshrine four NFL legends:
- Jared Allen
- Sterling Sharpe
- Antonio Gates
- Eric Allen
CBS recently looked at which current players are already shoo-ins for the Hall of Fame. They named 12 players who, if they walked away today, would be future Hall of Famers. The list included two players who currently play for the Washington Commanders: linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive end/linebacker Von Miller. To qualify for this list, the player must have already played seven NFL seasons.
On Wagner:
Bobby Wagner is well on his way to Canton as one of the greatest off-ball linebackers of his generation. He has been selected to an All-Pro team in 11 consecutive years while having six first-team All-Pro selections and 10 Pro Bowl selections.
Wagner has 100+ tackles in all 13 seasons and led the league in tackles three times. He’s one of four players with 1,800+ tackles and 35+ sacks in NFL history (Ray Lewis, Junior Seau, London Fletcher), also in the category of the same four players with 1,800+ tackles, 35+ sacks, and 10+ interceptions.
Wagner is still going strong, heading into his 14th NFL season and second with Washington. He brought instant credibility to the Commanders last season, on and off the field, and played a significant role in the culture change.
On Miller:
Von Miller, who recently signed a free agent deal with the Commanders, is one of the best pass rushers of this generation. The Super Bowl 50 MVP is tied for the most sacks in Super Bowl history (4.5 with Charles Haley), but also has 129.5 sacks with three first-team All-Pro selections and eight Pro Bowl selections on his resume.
Miller has seven double-digit sack seasons and was the 2011 Defensive Rookie of the Year. His 10.5 sacks are tied for 11th in NFL postseason history as well.
The Super Bowl 50 performance is enough to get Miller in. The only question remains whether he’ll be in on the first ballot or not.
Miller recently signed with Washington and is expected to have a significant role as a pass rusher, despite being 36. Miller understands his role at this point in his career and is eager to help younger players, while still chasing quarterbacks for teams with championship aspirations.
Notice what CBS said about Wagner. He is mentioned in the same sentence as Ray Lewis, Junior Seau and former Redskin London Fletcher. What’s the difference here? Lewis and Seau are already in the Hall of Fame, and somehow, Fletcher is not. It’s time to fix that.
Other ex-Washington stars belong in Canton, too: Offensive tackle Joe Jacoby and Brian Mitchell. Perhaps Washington’s newfound success will highlight some of the franchise’s more historic and deserving players. It shouldn’t be that way, but Hall of Fame voting has always been flawed.
Congratulations to the 2025 class.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Two current Commanders will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame
