Redskins emphasize trust in young players with release of Mason Foster

The Redskins unexpectedly changed course at inside linebacker early on Tuesday, cutting ties with Mason Foster, who had been a four-year starter.

The move is bold; the Washington Redskins are cutting ties with a known quantity, to let the seas of uncertainty unfurl before them. Now, nothing, and no one, is a guarantee. But for the Redskins, facing this uncertainty was ultimately better than settling for another year of Mason Foster.

With Foster gone, the opportunity is there for the team’s young talent at linebacker to spread its wings. Aside from Jon Bostic, who is 28 years old, and Marquise Flowers, who is 27 years old, all of the Redskins remaining linebackers are 25 years old or younger.

Josh Harvey-Clemons leads the group in age at around 25 and a half years old. Undrafted free agent B.J. Blunt is 24 years old, Shaun Dion Hamilton is 23 years old, and Cole Holcomb, a fifth-round rookie, is 22 years old.

The Redskins group of young linebackers is far from proven, but each player has a unique skill set that could be expanded upon with enough work and preparation. Hamilton has perhaps the most complete skill set; deemed a sixth-round pick because of his college injury concerns, Hamilton boasted his quick mental processing skills, solid athleticism, and tackling ability in limited action last year, and he figures to be a starter moving forward.

Harvey-Clemons has already received some opportunities with the Redskins defense, and while he has been inconsistent at times, he clearly has the length and range to be a disruptive coverage linebacker, and if he bulks up for training camp, he could take on more of an every-down role. Holcomb is the most athletic of the bunch, putting up numbers such as a 4.48 40-yard dash and a 38-inch vertical jump at his pro day, while standing at 6-foot-1, 240. Blunt is a good athlete as well, and while he’s smaller, he could find his way into a hybrid sort of obligation.

The Redskins might make a move for another linebacker after releasing their most experienced player at that position, but if they don’t, it shows a newfound commitment to developing youth early with Rob Ryan at the helm as the inside linebackers coach. The Redskins do have a considerable amount of potential in their linebacker room, and while young, each player offers a skill set worth giving more attention.

It’s a risky venture, to commit to such an unstable demographic of players, when cheap veterans might be available. But this is where the upside is. And in a year where competing for a Super Bowl title is an unrealistic goal, using live reps on young player development is perhaps a more responsible choice.