What does being placed on PUP list mean for Reuben Foster’s future in Washington?

Foster was placed on the active PUP list in Washington, meaning that he will not be able to return to the field until midway through season.

The Washington Football team placed both Alex Smith and Reuben Foster on the PUP list ahead of training camp, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

The move was expected for Smith, who is still working his way back from a gruesome leg injury suffered near the end of the 2018 season. However, this is a new development for Foster, who injured his knee in the spring of 2019 in a practice. The severity of the injury was not always known, but when word got out earlier this year that Foster was finally regaining some feeling in the lower part of his leg, it was apparent that significant damage was done. However, there were still some hopes that he would eventually be able to play in Washington, especially after a video of Foster working out emerged over the weekend.

By placing him on the PUP list, it doesn’t mean that Foster will be unable to play going forward, as Washington can add him to the active roster later in the season. Here is an explainer of the active PUP list in the NFL.

Players on the PUP list may not practice or play the first six weeks of the season. After the sixth week, the player must be allowed to return to practice, placed on injured reserved or released within five weeks.

If the player returns to practice, the team has three weeks to decide to place him on the active roster or on the injured reserve list.

Players on the PUP list do not count aginst the 53-man roster, but do count against the 90-man roster limit.

There is still a chance that we see Foster suit up at some point in the future for Washington, but it won’t be before Week 6 of the 2020 season, at the earliest.

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