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Five Washington football players who need preseason to make the roster

By Ian Cummings

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 15: Danny Johnson #41 of the Washington Redskins warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 15: Danny Johnson #41 of the Washington Redskins warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 24: Reuben Foster #56 and Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers defend during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Jaguars 44-33. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – DECEMBER 24: Reuben Foster #56 and Solomon Thomas #94 of the San Francisco 49ers defend during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Levi’s Stadium on December 24, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers defeated the Jaguars 44-33. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images) /

No. 4 – LB Reuben Foster

I debated which Washington football linebacker to put at this spot, as a few could ultimately be on the outside looking in, if they don’t enjoy the benefits of preseason.

Josh Harvey-Clemons undoubtedly needs a preseason to keep his roster spot, but he’s been presumed out all offseason, so nothing is changing here. Khaleke Hudson could suffer from not having that opportunity to showcase his skill early, but he can earn Ron Rivera’s trust with his work ethic in training camp.

Given the information available on other players, I settled on Reuben Foster for this pick. Foster is a polarizing player; he’s a former first-round pick, who was promising when he did start for the 49ers. But since being signed by Washington football midway through the 2018 season, Foster has yet to play a down for the team. He wasn’t cleared by the NFL until the offseason of 2019, and on the first day of 2019 training camp, he suffered a catastrophic non-contact knee injury.

Now, Foster is nearly a full two years removed from setting foot on the football field, and he’s still working to recover from the injury he suffered a year ago. Without preseason, coaches won’t be able to get a handle on how Foster has progressed to this point, and no one will know how well he can withstand contact. Given the crowded nature of the linebacker room, Rivera could simply decide to roll with more secure options, and stash Foster on the PUP list.

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