Redskins sign former Steelers linebacker Jon Bostic, place Foster on IR

After losing Reuben Foster to an ACL tear in organized team activities, the Redskins needed to supplement their linebacker room with depth.

The loss of Reuben Foster hurt the Washington Redskins in more ways than one.

The Redskins were expected to receive a big boost from Foster in the linebacking core. After a season mired by inconsistency on the second level, Foster was expected to bring well-rounded talent, as well as high athletic potential. Now, with Foster gone, the ceiling of the Redskins defense in 2019 is inherently lower.

But there’s also a more subtle cost to the loss of Foster. The depth at linebacker is now lessened, and the Redskins were expected to make a move to amend that issue. They did so earlier today, adding a veteran with some NFL experience as a starter. As ESPN’s Field Yates first reported, the Redskins signed former Steelers and Colts linebacker Jon Bostic.

In a move correspondent to the signing of Bostic, the Redskins, as Field Yates also reported, have placed Reuben Foster on injured reserve, effectively and officially ending his 2019 season far before it began.

Bostic will not provide the same upside that Foster was slated to give the Redskins in 2019, but he does have starting experience, in case the Redskins are forced to give him meaningful snaps in lieu of Mason Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton, among others.

Bostic was drafted in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Since 2013, with the exception of the 2016 season, which Bostic spent on the Lions’ injured reserve, Bostic has hopped around the NFL, serving as a replacement-level starter for the Bears, Patriots, Colts, and most recently the Steelers. In 2018, Bostic started 14 games as one of Pittsburgh’s inside linebackers. In that season, Bostic logged 73 total tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three pass deflections. Overall, he’s played in 70 NFL games, and started 46 of them.

Bostic has some intriguing athletic qualities. With 4.61 speed and a 32-inch vertical to boast at 6-foot-1, 245, Bostic isn’t a complete liability in terms of mobility. However, his foot injury in 2016 may have sapped some of his movement skills. He hasn’t graded out well in coverage over the years, and there are questions surrounding his instincts. He is, however, a fairly sure tackler, as Pro Football Focus awarded him with an 88.6 tacking grade in 2018.

For now, Bostic is depth, as the Redskins have Mason Foster to provide familiarity and Shaun Dion Hamilton to provide some youth and upside, along with Josh Harvey-Clemons and Cole Holcomb in the wings. In time, Bostic could work his way into an increased role. But if that ends up being the case, then the Redskins might have lost another player along the way.