Bobby Wagner practiced fully

Seattle Seahawks middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) celebrates an interception with strong safety Winston Guy (27) in the first quarter of the NFC divisional playoff game at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Shirey-USA TODAY Sports

Seattle Seahawks star linebacker Bobby Wagner hasn’t played since suffering a high-ankle sprain in a Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, but he has made major progress this week and looks on track to start on Monday night football against the rival St. Louis Rams. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s excellent Jim Thomas reports that Bobby Wagner was able to practice in full yesterday after being limited during Thursday’s practice.

Earlier this week, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll stated that Wagner is “way ahead of schedule”, which is something a few people took with a grain of salt. It’s time to take Carroll’s statement seriously, because Wagner practicing fully on Friday is no joke. At this point, expect him to play this week, and it would be a shock to see him miss Monday night’s game if he is able to practice today. Keep a close eye on Wagner’s practice status today, because he looks all ready to go.

That will be a nice boost for the Seahawks defense, as Wagner is a high-impact, second-year player out of Utah State who has recorded 34 tackles and had two turnovers on defense this season. Last year as a rookie, Wagner had a whopping 141 tackles and three interceptions, and he is one of the NFL’s best playmaking linebackers. His ability to stuff the run downhill will be crucial, as Rams rookie running back Zac Stacy is solid. Expect to see the Rams run the ball a lot, because Stacy looks like their best skill position player right now, and it would be a fool’s errand to trust inaccurate backup QB Kellen Clemens.

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