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Why Reuben Foster can become Washington Football’s Jaylon Smith

By Damien Bartonek

CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 03: Daniel Brown #85 of the Chicago Bears carries the football against Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 15-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL - DECEMBER 03: Daniel Brown #85 of the Chicago Bears carries the football against Reuben Foster #56 of the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Soldier Field on December 3, 2017 in Chicago, Illinois. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Chicago Bears 15-14. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 15: A Washington football team helmet is seen on the field before the game between the Washington football team and the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – DECEMBER 15: A Washington football team helmet is seen on the field before the game between the Washington football team and the Philadelphia Eagles at FedExField on December 15, 2019 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Reuben Foster will be expected to have a significant impact on Washington’s defense. Can he fill the role of being a difference maker at OLB?

Despite the shocking news that Washington Football linebacker Reuben Foster is healthy and made Washington’s active training camp roster, the expectations for a healthy Foster were up in the air originally.

Rehabbing from brutal injuries back in the 2019 offseason, with rumors swirling about potential nerve damage, the fact that Foster was able to make the training camp roster, healthy, was an insurmountable feat.

Looking for a fresh start with an entirely new organization, Foster has a home on the Washington Football Team for the 2020 NFL season. His importance to what was one of the worst defenses last season is beyond significant.

Washington has needed an upgrade at the inside linebacker position, and Foster will look to fill the void in his first season with the team. As we’ve gotten closer to the start of the 2020 NFL season, questions and hypotheticals have been thrown around as to what we can expect from the third-year pro.

Most notably, reported by The Athletic’s Rhiannon Walker at a press conference on August 10, 2020, Ron Rivera heaped both expectation and some insight on the game of Reuben Foster: “He can be a very big asset, just because of his ability to make plays, his explosiveness as a football player and those explosive plays that he can make. When you have a guy like that, that has that kind of ability and he’s back, it can be a very good thing.”

While Rivera acknowledges the potential impact and expectation for Reuben Foster, the most interesting quote came right after: “You look at the Dallas situation, they went through the same thing with their young linebacker (Jaylon Smith) having almost the same type of injury. That’s what we’re hoping for, for Reuben, an opportunity to get back on the field and prove that he’s back and that he’s the kind of guy that we hope he can be for us.”

That gets us to this point: Can Rueben Foster become the Washington Football Team’s version of Jaylon Smith? While those may seem like huge shoes to fill, there’s a foundation to compare and contrast the likelihood of that happening.

Washington Football can surely use a Jaylon Smith prototype for their defense long term, and from a former linebacker himself in Ron Rivera, he sees the potential for that prototype in Reuben Foster.

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