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

4. Cut LB Reuben Foster

Foster should never have been on the Redskins in the first place. For a team that was already matted with many problems, adding a guy with off-the-field issues was a PR nightmare.

Though Foster’s case hasn’t played out in its entirety, the fact is that the Redskins were the only team to put in a claim for Foster, who has twice been accused of domestic abuse. That, in and of itself, is already a massive problem. And while Foster is a great player when on the field, he simply needed to be without a team while this case played out.

Instead, the Redskins claimed Foster and endured a storm of criticism for the move. And to make matters worse, when the team tried to defend the move, they trotted out Doug Williams, who called the move “small potatoes” compared to other issues out there. Williams shouldn’t have been put in that position, but his comments made the situation worse, as it furthered the belief that the organization didn’t care about the allegations against Foster.

More from Commanders News

• What will Emmanuel Forbes bring to the Washington Commanders?
• Highlighting the best Commanders 2023 NFL Draft betting props
• 3 late Commanders rumors drawing buzz ahead of the 2023 NFL Draft
• 4 bold predictions for the Commanders 2023 NFL Draft
• Commanders News: Chase Young trade, draft day, CB riser and Sam Howell

If the team was looking to justify claiming Foster, the only way to do so would have been to focus solely on him as a player. They needed to completely condemn his off-field behavior and say that they wouldn’t tolerate his presence on the team pending an investigation. That was their message at the beginning, but Williams’ comments muddled that. And that falls on the higher-ups in the front office who failed to discuss the move and instead left that mess to Williams.

Still, if the Redskins want to fix their culture of dysfunction and stop being a laughing stock, getting rid of Foster will be necessary. The move was scrutinized by the public and fellow NFL teams alike for a reason and again, while Foster is talented, he doesn’t belong on the ‘Skins’ roster until everything is figured out.

It’s also possible that Lafemina’s exit could have been tied to the Foster decision. Thom Loverro of The Washington Times said the following on Twitter about the situation.

If that is entirely the truth, that would be a bombshell for the organization, and it will be another clear indication that Allen claiming Foster was a power grab. And that could have been the beginning of the end for Lafemina and co.

If the team parts with Foster and Nicholson, that will create a no-nonsense culture for off-the-field issues. And that would be a potential positive for the team as time goes along. But given their recent decision to claim him, this seems unlikely though it would be necessary to truly change the culture.