Reuben Foster carted off at Redskins practice with potentially serious injury

The Washington Redskins have been snakebitten by injuries in recent years. And they may have suffered another bad one as Reuben Foster went down on Monday.

Reuben Foster was expected to provide the Redskins with a big boost at the linebacker position this year. Now, the hopes of that may have been dashed.

At the beginning of the team’s OTAs, Foster went down with a leg injury on the third rep of practice and immediately appeared to be hurt. According to reports, he was sobbing after the injury and it appears to be serious.

According to NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay, Foster was carted off wearing an air cast. Obviously, that doesn’t bode well for his status at all.

If Foster’s injury is as serious as it appears to be, the Redskins will have their depth at linebacker tested.

In truth, there would be no real way to replace Foster with one player. He is the only proven three-down linebacker on the Washington squad. While he didn’t play at the end of last season due to pending domestic violence allegations, he demonstrated in previous action that he was a more-than-solid starter at the position. The only issue for him was injuries. And they appear to have struck again.

If Foster misses extended time, Mason Foster will likely resume his starting role in the defense and Shaun Dion Hamilton would be the favorite to start alongside him. Hamilton has upside after becoming the starter down the stretch of his rookie campaign, but he is relatively unproven. Meanwhile, Mason Foster is a good two-down option, but his coverage skills have eroded as he has gotten older.

The ‘Skins will have their depth at linebacker tested now, and Josh Harvey-Clemons and rookie Cole Holcomb could work their way into bigger roles if the team elects to play one in tandem with Foster in obvious passing situations. Harvey-Clemons, a former safety, would be the top candidate for that position out of the gate, but the hyper-athletic Holcomb could make a case to earn playing time if he can impress in the offseason.

Hopefully, things won’t be as bad as they seem for Reuben Foster. But at the moment, it’s looking bleak. We’ll keep you updated on the latest news surrounding Foster and we’ll soon see if the Redskins make any moves at the linebacker position to add depth.