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Redskins: 7 moves that must be made to fully change the team’s culture

By Jacob Camenker

ASHBURN, VA - JANUARY 09: Jay Gruden (L) poses for a photo with Washington Redskins Executive Vice President and General Manager Bruce Allen after he was introduced as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins during a press conference at Redskins Park on January 9, 2014 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
ASHBURN, VA - JANUARY 09: Jay Gruden (L) poses for a photo with Washington Redskins Executive Vice President and General Manager Bruce Allen after he was introduced as the new head coach of the Washington Redskins during a press conference at Redskins Park on January 9, 2014 in Ashburn, Virginia. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Linebacker Mason Foster #54 of the Washington Redskins reacts after recovering a fumble in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 14: Linebacker Mason Foster #54 of the Washington Redskins reacts after recovering a fumble in the second quarter against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField on October 14, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Will Newton/Getty Images) /

7. Cut LB Mason Foster

This is a difficult decision to make. Foster is a defensive captain and has mostly been a good guy during his time in Washington. However, a couple of recent factors make it necessary for the team to remove him.

The first is that Foster simply isn’t good anymore. He’s a great, downhill two-down run stopper, but he can’t cover anyone. He lacks the athleticism, speed, and instincts to keep pace with tight ends and slot receivers in the middle of the field. And that has created many problems and coverage busts as a result.

In addition to his poor play, Foster recently had a profane Instagram conversation linked in which he said derogatory things about the Redskins fan base. This is completely unacceptable. The fans have come under fire too often this year from guys like Foster, Swearinger, and Josh Norman, and it definitely hasn’t been fair. And Foster’s comments seemed like a knife in the back for the fan base, especially since the team was in the middle of a very bad stretch.

That said, Foster did apologize for what he said, and this was a one-time incident, so there may be room for forgiveness. Of course, it’s also fair to point out that his cousin tried to be the fall guy and Foster didn’t apologize right away, so that has to be considered as well.

Keeping Foster wouldn’t be the worst move for the Redskins, but it certainly wouldn’t be a good one. His ability is eroding and his relationship with the fans is strained now — at the very least. It may be time to find a new defensive captain, and it’s possible that Jonathan Allen could take on that role. So, Foster leaving and giving a voice to the younger players could create a culture change.

Still, Foster is far from the biggest problem. There are many others who need to go in order to have a wholesale culture change.

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