Mason Foster’s release from the Washington Redskins took some by surprise, especially with the timing. The Redskins were to report to training camp Wednesday. Instead of Foster being there with his teammates ready to embark on his fifth season with the team, he was cut.
Following his release, his agent, Blake Baratz, sounded off on the Redskins and the timing of his client’s release.
Foster led the team with 131 tackles. He also was the team captain and played in 98.2% of the Redskins defensive snap counts to be exact, according to Pro-Football Reference. And yes, it appeared that he was set to start at Mike linebacker, but that’s the ruthlessness of the NFL business.
Where Baratz does not detail in his Twitter posts, is the fact Washington was looking at Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton all along as the starting inside linebackers in their 3-4 base defense.
Reuben Foster did suffer a torn ACL, but the team quickly signed Jon Bostic. Bostic impressed enough and with a cheaper price tag made Mason Foster expendable again.
That’s not including last season’s tirade against the team and its fans after being frustrated by criticism from fans. And not to mention the team shopped Foster in the off-season, making the decision to release Mason Foster not that surprising.
Still, his time in Washington may have been the best of his career, as he collected at least 123 tackles in two of his three seasons as a full-time starter. He was well on his way to a good season in 2017 before a shoulder injury ended his season after five games.
Foster, 30, will become a free agent and hope to be a late addition for a team in need of a inside linebacker. He has experience with 92 career starts in eight seasons, playing in both 3-4 and 4-3 bases.
