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On the eve of player conditioning and two days before the official start of training camp, the Washington Redskins released veteran linebacker, Mason Foster.
Foster, 30, led the Redskins in tackles last season but struggled at times on the field in pass coverage and tracking down ball carriers. He also had a very public spat with the team via his social media account but blamed the situation on a family member having access.
The timing of his release was a head-scratcher but not a real surprise considering the amount of draft picks the Redskins have used over the past few seasons at the position.
The acquisition of Reuben Foster was supposed to signal the end of Foster’s time as a starter in the Burgundy and Gold but when the linebacker suffered a season-ending ACL tear on just his first rep in an OTA session the need for immediate help grew.
Washington signed veteran Jon Bostic who impressed during minicamp. His production and the emergence of second-year middle linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton made the move to release Foster easier.
The Redskins are also high on third-year player, Josh Harvey-Clemons, second-year player Cassanova McKinzy, and rookie, fifth-round pick in this years draft, Cole Holcomb.
That didn’t go unnoticed by coach Jay Gruden during his pre-training camp press conference from the Bon Secours Washington Redskins Training Center in Richmond, VA.
“There is no good timing to release a player [Foster] like,” Gruden said. “He’s a good player for us, a great player for us. He led the team in tackles but we feel really good about the youth that we have at linebacker. Adding Bostic helped out a lot but we also have Shaun Dion [Hamilton] and Josh Harvey-Clemons. Cole Holcomb we thought had an excellent OTA session. Marquis Flowers showed great athletic ability and speed. We have B.J. Blunt we got as a free agent from McNeese State so we feel good about the linebacking depth we have right now.”
All of the players listed all have speed and athleticism that at times plagued Foster. The Redskins look to be moving in a different philosophical direction as far as player attributes at the position. Several of the team’s linebackers including those in the outside linebacker room are now interchangeable. That falls in line with the changeable parts along the defensive line and to a lesser extent the secondary.
Washington will look to a new and versatile middle linebacker room to help what should be an improved defensive unit.