Redskins: Five biggest position battles to watch this offseason

3. Starting Middle Linebacker: Jon Bostic vs. Mason Foster

Reuben Foster and Shaun Dion Hamilton were supposed to be the starters at the linebacker position this year. That changed when Foster suffered a torn ACL. He will now miss the season, and that will leave the Redskins searching for a replacement at linebacker.

The team is likely going to have to use a committee approach at linebacker, but they may also want experience next to the relatively green Hamilton. That leaves Bostic and Mason Foster as the top options.

Of the two, Foster is the more known commodity in Washington. He’s a solid two-down linebacker whose coverage skills have regressed in the past couple of years. He’s still a good tackler and had some very good games last year, but he really shouldn’t be on the field in obvious passing situation. One plus with him is that he did start next to Hamilton in four games last season after Hamilton moved into the lineup over Zach Brown.

As for Bostic, he was a late addition to the roster (signed in the wake of Reuben Foster‘s injury) but he has been a solid tackler the past couple of seasons, and he had 73 stops and 2.5 sacks last season for Pittsburgh. Even more importantly, he has looked good in minicamp and could give the defense a bit of a jolt. That said, he is a journeyman (four teams in the last five years) so trusting him in a big role could be a risk.

For now, Bostic seemingly has a slight advantage on Foster solely because he’s a bit younger and more athletic. But anything could happen in the lead up to the season. That’s what will make this the best defensive position battle to watch.

Cole Holcomb or Josh Harvey-Clemons could also factor into this race, but I think it’s more likely that those two will end up battling for the coverage linebacker role.