After the injury sustained by Reuben Foster, the Redskins had to act quick.
The Washington Redskins still had starting candidates after Foster went down with an ACL injury in May, but they were short on starting experience in the linebacking core, outside of veteran and defensive captain Mason Foster.
Shaun Dion Hamilton has the traits to be an effective starter. But he’s a sixth-round pick in his second season. Josh Harvey-Clemons has the upside. But he’s a seventh-round project in his third year. Similar upside can be found with Cole Holcomb. But he’s a fifth-round rookie who might need more seasoning.
The Redskins’ linebacking core is laden with potential, but experience is a rarity. Thus, when Foster went down, an opportunity to supplement the core with more experience presented itself, and the team ended up signing Jon Bostic.
No relation to Jeff Bostic, folks.
Bostic is an intriguing player; he was a very late signing, in relative terms, and yet, he could factor into the Redskins starting equation, if he plays his cards right. Here’s a look at Bostic’s situation, as he enters his first training camp with the Redskins. In a best-case scenario, it might not be his last.
Bostic’s 2018 season
To summate his entire career, you could say that Bostic is a decent spot-starter. That was the case with the Bears, when he was drafted in the second round a few years ago, and that was the case with the Steelers in 2018.
Bostic was signed and deployed to help Pittsburgh withstand the loss of Ryan Shazier. Of course, the act didn’t hold up, as Bostic did not resemble Shazier on the field. Statistically, he put up some redeemable numbers, amassing 73 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three pass deflections, and four quarterback hits.
Stats, however, can be misleading. While Bostic achieved those numbers due to volume, he showed below-average instincts up the middle of the field, and in coverage, he was largely ineffective. He allowed 30 catches on 37 targets, letting by 331 offensive yards and two touchdowns, per Pro Football Focus. Through a sixteen game slate, those numbers are less overwhelming, but Bostic’s snap counts declined sharply after Week 12 against Denver, his worst-graded game of the year.
Bostic was a rotational player after the Denver game, and the Steelers cut him in favor of $2.5 million cap savings in April, shortly after picking Devin Bush with the No. 10 overall pick in the NFL Draft. It didn’t take long for Bostic to get his next chance with the Redskins, but had Reuben Foster not gotten injured, Bostic might still be unemployed today.
What Bostic must show at Redskins training camp
If you asked me right now, I’d say that if Bostic takes substantial starting snaps this season, then the Redskins aren’t in a good spot. But Bostic has some time to change the perception, and he can do that by compounding his best traits in training camp.
So what are Bostic’s best traits? At first glance, his athletic testing numbers stand out. When prepping for the NFL Draft in 2013, he logged a 4.59 40-yard dash time, a sub-seven second three-cone drill time, and a vertical jump of 32.5 inches. These numbers encapsulate, at worst, above-average athleticism, especially for a linebacker with a stocky 6-foot-1, 245-pound build.
Bostic’s athleticism, unfortunately, seems to have been sapped away from him a bit. A foot injury sidelined him for the entire 2016 season, while he was with the Lions, and he doesn’t have the sideline-to-sideline range that his numbers suggest. He’s a thumper who’s decent in run defense, with good tackling form, although his angles are inconsistent.
Boston’s best trait, with his athleticism falling below expectations, ends up being his experience. Among the three inside linebackers who join him behind Mason Foster, only one has started an NFL game, and that’s Shaun Dion Hamilton, who started four games in 2018. Bostic, meanwhile, has started 46 games over the course of his career, and played in 70. In theory, his experience should give him an edge, as well as some mental keys on the field that the younger players might lack.
Bostic doesn’t have great instincts, movement skills, or consistency, but with his experience, he can set himself apart in the Redskins linebacker room. For the Redskins sake, it might be better to see out the development of their younger linebackers before they defer to Bostic’s experience, because Bostic doesn’t offer much utility as a full-time starter. But with that asset, he can convince Washington to give him a steady role in 2019.
Bostic’s main competition
Bostic is a new addition, but as a veteran, he should have an edge over fifth-round rookie Cole Holcomb. Josh Harvey-Clemons is a tougher opponent; the third-year player has good upside as a hybrid linebacker, and was working his way onto the field more often in 2018. Bostic should edge him out with experience, however, as Harvey-Clemons has yet to truly latch on.
Mason Foster will likely be given one of the team’s two starting spots, due to his extensive experience in the team’s system, so Bostic’s closest competitor figures to be second-year linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton. Hamilton has the on-field I.Q. to quickly eclipse Bostic’s experience, and he has better physical traits as well. Here’s more on Hamilton from a piece written earlier in the offseason.
"It’s exciting when Hamilton’s physical traits flash, because he’s already a very smart player. Per SB Nation’s Alex Kirshner, the coaches at Alabama trusted Hamilton to receive calls from the sideline and align the defense accordingly. He was the defense’s leader, and his mental prowess shows up on tape. While there are hiccups, as there always are with young players, he’s very quick to diagnose momentum shifts in a play, and this allows him to quickly flip his hips and start pursuit. He’s a team player who always displays very solid communication skills and effort on the field, and if he can stay healthy in the NFL, he can easily exceed his draft status."
It’ll likely come down to Hamilton and Bostic for the second starting slot. If Bostic shows more polish mentally, then the Redskins might opt to give him the job over Hamilton. But if Hamilton shows more promise, as he did last season, it would be wise to give him the opportunity, and let him run with it. Bostic, at this point, might be better as a depth player than a starter. He’ll compete for the job. But if he wins it, the honeymoon period won’t last forever.
2019 outlook with the Redskins
With Bostic, the Redskins added more security at linebacker. Losing Reuben Foster made them that much thinner, on top of losing a starting talent for 2019. Bostic gives them a linebacker with starting experience, and a player who provides good depth, but also the ability to file in as a serviceable starter at a moment’s notice.
There shouldn’t be overwhelming excitement for the potential that a defense with Bostic starting could hold, because at this point in his career, Bostic is a depreciating asset. He’s not always at full health, he’s not as rangy as he was in his younger years, and at 28 years old, while he still has one or two prime years left, time can be better invested in younger players.
That said, if Bostic gets some of his utility back, and strikes a cord with the Redskins defense, he could surprise. The recent history isn’t promising: Five teams in six years, and a striking lack of commitment from his suitors. But perhaps that past will put a chip on Bostic’s shoulder, and motivate him to prove himself. Crazier things have happened. Mellower things have also failed to pass.
For now, Bostic is a high-floor, low-ceiling acquisition who gives the Redskins some breathing room on the second level. It was a smart signing by Washington, in the wake of Reuben Foster’s injury, but if he gets substantial snaps in the place of a promising young player like Shaun Dion Hamilton, then the team’s sensibility would be put into question.