Predicting the likely winners of each Redskins position battle

Inside Linebacker: Jon Bostic and Josh Harvey-Clemons

It’s still a bit hard to gauge who will be the primary starter here next to Bostic. Bostic has surely locked up one of the positions, as he has been very solid this preseason. He has been good against the run and has held up well in coverage. Generally speaking, he is quick to the ball, and that’s something that will be of major assistance to the Redskins’ linebacker corps.

Bostic’s performance has better clarified the release of Mason Foster. Bostic is a younger and slightly more athletic version of Foster. This was known when the team signed him, but clearly, he has picked up the playbook well and gotten comfortable with the defense. And that was enough to make him the replacement for the long-time Redskins linebacker.

However, next to Bostic, the picture is less clear. Heading into the preseason, it was expected that Shaun Dion Hamilton would have a chance to earn that role. After all, he took over as the starter at the end of the last season. But he suffered a chest injury in the team’s first contest and hasn’t played since.

That gave Harvey-Clemons an opportunity to step up and play quite a bit. The former seventh-round pick out of Louisville has seen plenty of playing time this preseason and has been impressive. He has shown great tackling skills and has held up well in coverage, as was to be expected of the converted safety. His performance in a starting role the past two weeks may give him enough juice to overtake Hamilton in that battle, especially given that he and Bostic seem to be working well off each other.

The linebacker corps will still see plenty of rotation from the top four guys in Bostic, Harvey-Clemons, Hamilton, and fifth-round rookie, Cole Holcomb. But for the time being, it seems that Bostic and Harvey-Clemons have the inside edge to be on the field for the first defensive series against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 of the 2019 NFL season.