What’s the Deal with Reuben Foster, Really?
April 17, 2019
by Steve Thomas
I haven’t returned to my “What’s the Deal With . . .” series in quite a while, but given last week’s developments with linebacker Reuben Foster, it seems like a good time to resurrect this particular bit of creative genius. I’m not going to delve into the details of Foster’s disciplinary matters here, because, first, I addressed those a few weeks ago (click here to read it), and second, it doesn’t matter now. All that’s important is that the NFL fined him two game checks but did not suspend him, concluding that it did not have evidence to support a conclusion that Foster violated the league’s personal conduct policy. According to Pro Football Talk, two items worked in Foster’s favor: (1) the NFL viewed the hotel security video and did not see evidence of a violation, and (2) the woman involved in the incident refused to talk to NFL investigators, which no doubt played a large part in the NFL’s finding[1].
The bottom line is that Foster will almost assuredly become a starting inside linebacker for the Redskins next year. My colleague Eric Hill wrote earlier this week about how shrewd Washington’s front office was in picking him up (click here to read). I haven’t spent much time, in writing at least, discussing what Foster can do on the field because before this past Friday we didn’t know when he would actually be able to play, if ever. Now that that question is resolved, let’s talk about Foster’s potential contributions to the team.
Background
Foster, who stands 6’1” and weighs 228 pounds, grew up in Roanoke, Alabama, to a troubled family background. He was recruited to play for Nick Saban at the University of Alabama, where he played in 39 games over three seasons from 2014 – 2016, making a total of 211 tackles, including 120 solo and 91 assisted tackles and 7 sacks. He started the 2015 and 2016 seasons and after the 2016 season was named a Unanimous All-American and won the Butkus Award, which is given to the best linebacker in the country. Foster was infamously kicked out of the 2016 NFL Combine, so we don’t have a reliable 40 time or other objective measurables for him. He was drafted by the 49ers with the 31st pick in round one of the 2017 draft. Foster played and started 16 games in two years in San Francisco, making 101 total tackles, including 84 solo and 17 assisted tackles. He played in and started 10 games in the 2017 season, missing 6 games due to an ankle injury, making 72 tackles, including 59 solo and 13 assisted tackles. Foster was named to the All-Rookie team by the Pro Football Writers Association. He played 6 games in 2018 before the 49ers got tired of him and cut him, making 29 tackles, including 25 solo and 4 assisted tackles. As everyone is aware, he did not play for the Redskins last year, instead spending the final 11 weeks of the season on the Commissioner’s Exempt List due to his legal troubles.
Putting aside the morality of bringing a guy like Foster to Washington, from a salary cap perspective Foster represents a minimal risk for a very high reward. Foster will have a cap hit of a bit less than $1.3M in 2019 (check out our salary cap page by clicking here) and $1.7M in 2020; however, the guarantees in his contract voided when he was cut by the 49ers. Plus, the Redskins hold his CBA-mandated fifth-year option for the 2021 season, so Washington essentially has a free two year trial period for Foster to prove he can be a productive, law-abiding adult before they have to start committing big guaranteed money to him. Whether he works out or not, ignoring the moral issues that come with him this represents a solid gamble for Washington.
His game film
So what are the Redskins really getting in Foster? We’ve all heard good things, of course, and Washington’s inside linebacker corps isn’t particularly stable or talent-rich right now, which means that the team could use an injection of new blood at that position. Foster played the weak side for the 49ers and was not the defensive signal caller; nevertheless, there’s no doubt that Foster instantly becomes the most talented inside linebacker on the roster. The first thing that you should understand about Foster is that he is explosive. And by that, I mean explosive. Foster plays like he’s shot out of a cannon in run defense at times. He most likely doesn’t have the top-end speed of Zach Brown, because essentially no linebacker in the NFL is that fast, but Foster has an incredible short-space burst. Check out this play from the 49ers’ 2018 matchup against the Packers from week on October 15 – Foster is number 56 in the bottom center of your screen:
Notice that on this play, which was at the goal line, Foster correctly diagnoses the path of the running back, sees the hole, and accelerates through to blow the play up. I can’t imagine Mason Foster, or even Zach Brown, playing that violently and suddenly very often. Here’s another clip from the 49ers’ 2018 week 3 game against the Chiefs on September 23 – Foster is in the bottom middle of your screen:
On this play, Foster delays making his move for just a split second to ensure that he can see where the running back is headed, and then still has enough burst to get to the impact point at the line of scrimmage before the running back – Kareem Hunt, who isn’t slow – can get through the hole into the second level. I have one more example, again from the Packers game. Foster is lined up on the edge of the defensive left on the right side of your screen:
On this play, Foster drops back from the line of scrimmage into coverage. Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers scans the field and eventually scrambles to his left. Foster shows tremendous range by coming from all the way on the other side of the field to outrun all of his teammates and make the hit on Rodgers before Rodgers can go for a more significant gain. That’s the kind of acceleration and range that Mason Foster could never hope to have.
Foster doesn’t just rely on athleticism, though; more often than not, he plays smart. An example of what I mean is from San Francisco’s game against Green Bay in week 6. Foster is in the center of your screen:
Here, Foster sees that the play is a handoff, but waits to make his move. The running back appears to be looking for Foster before selecting his hole, but Foster stays home, forcing the running back to commit, allowing Foster to accelerate to the hole (shedding a block in the process, which he’s also good at), once again making the stop for minimal gain. Here’s another example of Foster’s intelligent play in run defense, also from the same Green Bay game (Foster is #56 in the middle of your screen):
Foster does not bite on the deception created by the Packers receiver going in motion laterally, seeing from the beginning that the ball was going to the tailback. Foster maintains his gap integrity even despite the ball carrier breaking to his left (Foster’s right), knowing that the San Francisco defensive back was filling the other gap. When the back has to cut back to his right, Foster is right there in the gap for another stop of minimal gain.
In addition to playing quality run defense, Foster also has good coverage skills and isn’t normally a liability in coverage. He has the raw athletic talent to usually be an asset against the pass. Watch this play from the 49ers’ week 3 game against the Chiefs (Foster is in the middle of your screen):
On this play, Foster initially moves to his right as the offensive line directs the protection that way, but breaks off into coverage once Chiefs receiver Chris Conley (who ran a 4.35 second 40 yard dash at his Combine in 2015) breaks off the line of scrimmage into the mid-depth middle of the field. Conley clearly has more track speed than does Foster, but Foster nonetheless maintains his coverage long enough to get a hand on the ball and break up the catch. Now, close your eyes and try to imagine either Mason Foster or Zach Brown making that play. I’ll wait. Here’s another example, this time from week 6 against the Packers (you can’t see Foster’s number 56, but he’s the second of the third 49er linebackers in the clip):
This is a simple play, but it’s nonetheless a good example of Foster’s coverage ability. On this play, he drops back to cover the Packer tight end breaking off the line of scrimmage on a shallow in route. Foster blankets him and Rodgers throws elsewhere.
Foster isn’t a perfect player, obviously. On occasion, he over-pursues in the run game, probably as a result of his fairly aggressive play style, and gets caught up in blocking; also, I’ve seen more than one instance of pass defense that did not go as well as the two plays I showed above. But that’s football and those things happen to every player. I firmly believe based on the film that I studied that the Redskins will get a Reuben Foster that resembles what I’ve shown you here more often than not.
Conclusion
Reuben Foster instantly becomes the Redskins’ best inside linebacker. He will be a tremendous asset in the run game in particular, and at a minimum will not be the absolute liability against the pass most of the Redskins’ other linebackers have been. To be honest, I’m not overly wild about Foster being with the Redskins given the nature of his personal troubles and the way that he came to be on the Washington roster, but there’s no doubt whatsoever in my mind that from a football perspective he should start from day one as Zach Brown’s replacement on the weak side. He can shed blocks, but isn’t big enough to get caught up in too much interior blocking on the strong side, and that role probably doesn’t make the best use of his incredible acceleration and burst. Now that he’s here and eligible to play, I look forward to seeing his contributions on the field.
[1] https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/04/13/nfl-threads-a-needle-in-fining-but-not-suspending-reuben-foster/