Tag: Reuben Foster

The future for Reuben Foster in Washington is looking grim

Foster has been working to get back from a knee injury in 2019, but it’s unclear if the Redskins will wait for him to get healthy.

Of the many needs that the Washington Redskins have on their roster, one that they’ve addressed the most so far during this free agency period is at the linebacker position. In the last few days, Washington has agreed to sign Thomas Davis, Kevin Pierre-Louis, and Jon Bostic.

These players will join, or re-join in Bostic’s case, the group consisting of Cole Holcomb, Shaun Dion-Hamilton, and Josh Harvey-Clemons in 2020, assuming everyone is healthy and ready to go. But what about Reuben Foster? Shouldn’t he be included on this list too?

It’s starting to seem pretty unlikely.

Remember first that, during his first practice in a Redskins uniform, Foster suffered a devastating knee injury that kept him out of the entire 2019 season. Near the end of the year, a report came out that the former first-round pick had just started to regain feeling in his foot after dealing with extensive nerve damage. Now, without a clear timetable for his return, and with the regime who signed him out the door, things have changed.

The future is starting to seem pretty grim, and according to NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, a return before this season seems unlikely.

“Now, with Allen out of the picture and Rivera focused on rebuilding the Redskins through a strong culture, it seems unlikely Foster is a big part of the long-term plan, especially with his medical questions,” Finlay said. “Removing all of the off-field baggage, this scenario could look very similar to Josh Doctson’s 2019 season. He was going into the last year of his rookie contract and Washington decided not to exercise the fifth-year rookie option.”

So could we see a scenario where the Redskins cut ties with Foster altogether before the 2020 season gets underway? It’s highly possible. The Redskins are bringing in free-agent linebackers left and right, and it would seem to be that they are looking ahead without Foster on the depth chart.

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Redskins keep LB Jon Bostic on a two-year, $5 million contract

Bostic was a great player for the Redskins in 2019, and the team will keep him around for the next couple of years.

The Washington Redskins are going to keep linebacker Jon Bostic around for the near future, as they reportedly have agreed to a two year, $5 million extension with him.

Bostic was a great contributor for the Redskins in 2019 after being picked up in the offseason to fill in for MLB Reuben Foster, who was injured in spring camp. Going into the 2020 season, many wondered about who the Redskins would look to base their defense around going forward, and many thought that bringing Bostic back into the fold would make a lot of sense.

Now, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and head coach Ron Rivera have a solid piece in the middle of their linebacking core, and one who knows the defense as well. It is not yet clear when Foster will be available to return, but the Redskins at least have a highly-serviceable option in the middle of the second level.

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49ers haven’t had great luck with No. 31 overall pick

From Rashaun Woods to Reuben Foster, the 31st pick hasn’t been kind to the 49ers in the NFL draft.

History hasn’t been kind to the 49ers when they pick No. 31 overall in the draft, which is where they’re slated to pick in April.

San Francisco has taken two players ever with the 31st overall pick, and both were off the roster before the completion of their second season. In 2004 they took Oklahoma State wide receiver Rashaun Woods, and in 2017 they traded up to No. 31 to take Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster.

Woods played 14 games in his only season with the 49ers. He caught seven of his 23 targets for 160 yards and a touchdown. Woods spent his second season on Injured Reserve before getting traded to the Chargers prior to the 2006 season.

Foster’s circumstances were different than Woods’. He played and started 16 games across two seasons for San Francisco with decent success. He posted 101 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and a pair of pass breakups, but a run-in with Alabama police for marijuana possession, a gun charge in California and multiple domestic violence allegations (including one at the team hotel in Tampa Bay before a 2018 contest that led to his release) were enough for the 49ers to part ways with the former first-round pick.

There’s a good chance San Francisco doesn’t use the 31st pick though considering their lack of draft capital between Rounds 2 and 4, where they hold zero selections.

The silver lining is their recent success when trading out of the No. 31 overall slot. They sent that pick to Dallas in the 2013 draft to slide up to No. 18 and take safety Eric Reid. He made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and started 69 of 70 games across five seasons in San Francisco.

Ultimately past drafts won’t play a role in the 49ers’ 2020 selections, but this is a good chance for them to reverse the organization’s fortunes at that particular draft slot. Hitting on their first pick, or getting quality capital back in a trade, could be the difference in whether the 49ers are able to sustain their run as Super Bowl contenders.

Report: CB Quinton Dunbar to skip out on OTAs in 2020

Dunbar had a career year in 2019 and became one of the best CBs in the NFL, but his lack of guaranteed money is keeping him from 2020 OTAs.

It appears that one of the Washington Redskins best defenders is planning on skipping OTAs this spring because of the risk it poses to his health, without the assurance of any guaranteed money in the final year of his contract.

Sound familiar?

No, we aren’t talking about Trent Williams again, but rather cornerback Quinton Dunbar, who had a career-season in 2019 and now stands as one of the better pass defenders in the NFL.

According to NBC Sports Washington, Dunbar plans to skip Organized Team Activities this spring and avoid the injury risk that it poses. Dunbar was one of the many Washington players that witnessed linebacker Reuben Foster go down with a season-ending knee injury last season during OTAs, and Dunbar doesn’t want to take that risk considering that he does not have any more guaranteed money left on his contract. The report claims that this injury left a significant impression on the rest of the team when it comes to the value of voluntary work.

It is unclear whether this will spur on contract talks between Dunbar and the Redskins, or whether Dunbar is interested in re-signing with Washington down the road, but it looks like we know at the very least that Dunbar will skip out on OTAs for this year at least.

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49ers cite cutting Reuben Foster as key moment in changing culture

Reuben Foster came up in a recent notable interview.

The Washington Redskins hope they can get something special out of Reuben Foster once he’s fully recovered from an injury suffered last year.

But his arrival in Washington was only possible because the San Francisco 49ers cut him.

Those 49ers cut Foster while he was embroiled in an off-field incident (later dismissed) and now 49ers CEO Jed York says that changed everything for the Super Bowl-bound team, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic:

“We moved on from it and it was hard,” York said of Foster. “And we could have justified not moving on from it. There are other people who have been in worse situations than what Reuben was in. But we knew where we had to be. So if you look for a defining moment for those guys, I think that’s a defining moment for the culture of this team.”

Again, the Redskins hope Foster can complete a turnaround of his own once he’s fully healthy and back in the starting lineup.

But in the background, the Redskins are seeking out a culture change of their own after a massive overhaul of the front office and the installation of Ron Rivera as head coach.

While the 49ers are on their way to the Super Bowl, it’s interesting to think about whether the Redskins can spur a change of their own and start achieving success again.

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Reuben Foster ‘not ruling anything out’ when it comes to recovery timetable

Foster is coming back from an ACL, MCL and LCL tear, and he’s hoping to be back by the 2020 season.

Washington Redskins linebacker Reuben Foster has made significant strides when it comes to his recovery from a torn ACL, MCL, and LCL injury suffered in June of 2019.

According to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Foster has recently gotten feeling back in his toes and the underside of his foot, something that he didn’t have for months after experiencing nerve damage in the leg.

Foster still has a long way to go before being fully healthy for the 2020 season, but this development is optimistic, according to Foster’s agent.

He hopes Foster can participate in some form or fashion in training camp, but there is no timetable set for his return. Based on how positive the week in Colombia was, he’s not ruling anything out.

There is no word yet on whether or not Foster will be healthy enough for training camp this spring, but all signs point towards him returning to the field by the time the 2020 season rolls around.

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Report: Reuben Foster is recovering from nerve damage after injury

Reuben Foster is on his way back for the Redskins.

Washington Redskins linebacker Reuben Foster is on his way back from a serious injury and just passed a significant milestone in his recovery.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Foster had an underreported issue stemming from his torn ACL, LCL and MCL in that he didn’t have feeling in his toes.

That’s changing, per agent Malki Kawa.

“He’s got feeling in his toes, the underside of his foot, the side of his foot,” Kawa said. “The nerve is starting to fire again.”

The extent of Foster’s injury and the current recovery timetable makes it seem like he might be nothing more than a bonus for the Redskins this offseason if he can get back on the field over the summer.

Either way, this seems like a big milestone that moves Foster one small step closer to getting back to being the player he used to be.

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Bryce Love and Reuben Foster are expected to be fully healthy for 2020 season

Both Love and Foster missed the 2019 season due to injuries, but the two potential game-changers are on track to play in 2020.

The Washington Redskins added two players to their roster in 2019 that have loads of upside, and both are expected to play major roles in the future. The only problem was that neither player saw the field, as both were confined to the injured reserve for the entire season.

Luckily for fans, both Reuben Foster and Bryce Love are on track to be fully healthy for the 2020 season, according to Redskins.com.

Foster was signed by the Redskins in 2018 after he was released by the 49ers. He was initially put on the Commissioner’s Exempt list, holding him out of any action, and he later tore his ACL and LCL on the first day of minicamp last Summer, rendering him sidelined for his first full season in Washington. Months later, in October, he posted a video to social media of him running on a treadmill, with a caption pointing towards his return in 2020. Foster, who is a former first-round pick in 2017, will have a huge impact on the defense if he’s healthy.

As for Love, the Redskins knew they would be without him during his rookie year, but that didn’t stop them from drafting him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Love was a standout running back at Stanford in college, and he finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy Award in his junior year. Unfortunately, Love tore his ACL in December of 2018, which left him rehabbing for all of 2019 and sitting out for his junior year. Don’t let that extended absence detract you from his immense talent, though. In 2017, he rushed for 2,118 yards and 19 touchdowns with the Cardinal. If you can add that talent to a backfield that already includes Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson, you’ve got something special cooking.

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3 linebackers the Redskins should target in 2020 NFL free agency

The Redskins have the makings of a stout defense in 2020, but a high-end linebacker could be exactly what they need to be elite.

The defense for the 2020 Washington Redskins is starting to shape up pretty nicely, and with a duo of highly-respected defensive coaches now in the door, there’s a chance for them to be pretty good this upcoming season.

Not only does the defensive line have a solid foundation, with the prospect of bringing in Chase Young — the best defensive end that college football has seen in years — but the secondary is young and talented, with a budding Quinton Dunbar and a promising group underneath him.

That leaves the middle of the defense to focus on. While the Redskins were forced to piece together a linebacking core in 2019 after Reuben Foster went down with a season-ending injury in OTAs, they look to be a little bit more sound at the position as they enter the offseason. Foster is set to return, and rookie linebacker Cole Holcomb had a stellar first season, where he presented himself as a solid piece in the middle of the Washington defense. Still, that leaves one spot for the Redskins to try and improve to allow their defense to take shape, and it’s highly possible that they take to the free-agent market in order to do so. Here are a few players that we think they should try to bring into Ashburn.

Mychal Kendricks — Seattle Seahawks
Aug 24, 2019; Carson, CA, USA; Seattle Seahawks linebacker Mychal Kendricks (56) tackles Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) during the first quarter at Dignity Health Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Kendricks has had a solid career in the NFL, and his nose for the football inside the box makes him a valuable addition to run-stopping efforts. In his past two seasons with the Seahawks, he has stepped up as a valuable playmaker at inside linebacker, with 90 total tackles and 12 tackles for loss. He also has shown a little bit of ability to get out into coverage, defending five passes with one interception in Seattle, to go along with his three interceptions during his six years with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kendricks is coming off of back-to-back one-year contracts in Seattle, the last of which was worth $4 million. 2019 was an average season for the 8-year veteran; he improved on a disappointing 2018, but it could be considered a down year compared to the numbers that he used to put up in Philadelphia. The Redskins could likely sign him to a short, two- or three-year deal that is easy on the salary cap, and allow him to help grow a young and promising defense. His stats don’t exactly line up with his name recognition, but this signing would surely get Redskins fans jazzed about the upcoming season.

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