Last week we looked at the distribution of players on NFL rosters from Week 1 of the 2018 season by age to get a high level look at what kind of aging curve the Seattle Seahawks might be looking at as they negotiate a third contract with All Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner.
There is no doubt that the age distribution for a specific position group will be distorted by survivorship bias, as younger players that may be on rosters early in their careers but fail to develop won’t stick around long. In addition, many special teams players may not make large contributions on defense, but might stick around in the league on a roster as primarily a special teamer for several years while never playing many meaningful snaps on the defensive side of the ball.