The Washington Redskins are hoping to offset the loss of linebacker Reuben Foster with the addition of journeyman defender Jon Bostic.
Earlier this week, Jay Gruden’s Washington Redskins got some bad news when linebacker Reuben Foster, who joined the team last November (following his release by the San Francisco 49ers) but had yet to play a down for the franchise, went down with a torn ACL.
And the end of his 2019 season was confirmed when the club announced they had placed Foster on injured reserve on Wednesday while the ‘Skins signed Jon Bostic. So will the addition of the veteran inside linebacker be a positive? Frankly, it’s hard to tell.
The 50th overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears, the former Michigan standout has made his share of stops around the league and that may indeed be an understatement. During his first two seasons, he put up decent numbers in each of those campaigns. But in late September 2015, he was dealt to the New England Patriots.
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He played in 11 games for Bill Belichick’s club but totaled one tackle on defense and one stop on special teams.
Bostic was on the move again one year later. The Patriots dealt him to the Detroit Lions shortly after the draft that year. But a foot injury shelved him for the entire. The 2013 second-round selection signed with the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, started and played in 14 games and finished second on the team with a career-best 97 tackles. Unfortunately, this was a club that gave up the third-most total yards in the league that season and was 26th in the NFL against the run.
This past season, Bostic joined the Pittsburgh Steelers as the team attempted to replace Ryan Shazier in a variety of ways. He played in all 16 games and made 14 starts for the second consecutive year, finishing with 73 stops (tied for third on the club), three passes defensed and a career-high 2.5 sacks. But after using the 10th overall pick on another former Michigan Wolverine in linebacker Devin Bush in April, the Steelers cut ties with the 28-year old pro.
You have to spend some time going down the list to find Bostic’s name when it comes to linebacker rankings by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). This offseason, the Redskins lost outside linebacker Preston Smith in free agency to the Green Bay Packers and with Foster in the fold, the team opted to part ways with Zach Brown. The latter finished second on the club in tackles in 2018 but is now with the division-rival Philadelphia Eagles.
Can Bostic crack the starting lineup and be effective when paired inside with Mason Foster? Or will the ‘Skins continue to look for some help in this area?