Redskins Place Reuben Foster On IR, Sign LB Jon Bostic
Reuben Foster‘s season is officially over. On Wednesday, the Redskins placed the linebacker on IR and filled his spot on the roster by adding Jon Bostic. 
Foster went down during the very first drill of OTAs and the seriousness of the injury was immediately apparent after medical staff placed an air cast on his knee. It’s a bad blow for the Redskins, who were left with only late-round picks at the position after the release of Zach Brown.
To help fill the void, the Redskins signed Bostic, who ranked as one of the best off-ball ‘backers left on the market. Bostic doesn’t offer the same upside as Foster, but he did start in 14 games for the Steelers in 2018 before falling out of favor down the stretch. Last year, Bostic tallied 73 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended while earning average marks from Pro Football Focus.
Raiders Work Out TE Erik Swoope
Former Colts and Saints tight end Erik Swoope will work out for the Raiders on Tuesday, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Swoope also worked out for the Redskins and Buccaneers in the past few days and Rapoport expects him to sign somewhere soon. 
Swoope originally signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent in March of 2014. He made his first real impact in 2016, when he caught 15 passes for 197 yards and one touchdown. After losing his 2017 season to a knee issue, he returned in 2018 to appear in seven games and catch eight passes for 87 yards and three scores. The Colts jockeyed him on and off the roster last year, so Swoope is probably hoping for more in the way of stability on his next deal.
The Raiders are on the lookout for tight end depth after releasing blocking specialist Lee Smith earlier this month. Currently, the Raiders’ tight end group is headlined by recent addition Luke Willson, blocker Derek Carrier, and fourth-round rookie Foster Moreau.
Reuben Foster Believed To Have Torn ACL
The injury that saw Reuben Foster carted away from a Redskins workout Monday appears to indeed be serious. Foster is believed to have suffered a torn ACL, along with additional damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
This occurred on the first series of the first drill during Redskins OTAs, the Washington Post’s Kareem Copeland tweets. Foster was seen slamming the turf in agony and sobbing while being driven off of the field.
Foster will continue to see specialists in the near future, Rapoport adds, but this is expected to wipe out his 2019 season. The linebacker has one year remaining on his rookie contract, though the Redskins have a fifth-year option decision to make by May 2020.
Washington made a controversial waiver claim on Foster last season, after the 49ers cut him following another incident allegedly involving domestic violence. The Redskins were the only team to submit a claim. But Foster avoided another suspension and was likely set to be a starting inside linebacker in Washington. That future will be on hold after Monday’s injury.
The Redskins released Zach Brown this offseason and, behind Foster, have only late-round picks at this position. Shaun Dion Hamilton (2018 sixth round), Josh Harvey-Clemons (2017 seventh round) and rookie fifth-round pick Cole Holcomb reside on Washington’s roster. Foster’s setback may prompt the Redskins to gauge the free agent market for possible help alongside Mason Foster. Among the off-ball ‘backers available: Jon Bostic, Josh Bynes, Kelvin Sheppard and Kyle Emanuel.
Reuben Foster has already missed 16 games — due to either injury or suspension — in his first two seasons. By the time the 2019 campaign concludes, the former first-round pick will have missed 32 of a possible 48 regular-season games.
Redskins’ Reuben Foster Suffers Injury
Linebacker Reuben Foster was carted off of the Redskins’ practice field with an air cast on his left leg, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Nothing is certain yet, but the air cast/cart combo suggests that this is a very serious injury and a likely season-ender. 
Foster was seen slamming the turf in agony and sobbing while being driven off of the field. The linebacker, who escaped suspension for his latest round of domestic violence accusations, is now unlikely to see the field in 2019 for his new team.
Foster, a 2017 first-round pick, is among the most talented linebackers in the NFL. He’s also one of the league’s most controversial players due to his off-the-field transgressions. Foster was accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, in February of 2018. Ennis went on to recant that story, but, in November, she alleged Foster of abusing her once again at the 49ers’ team hotel in Florida. The Niners dropped him soon after and the Redskins shocked many in the football world by claiming him off waivers.
The remaining guarantees in Foster’s contract have been voided due to his off-the-field transgressions, but the Redskins will be responsible for his salary if/when he is placed on IR.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/15/19
oday’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived: LB Ejuan Price
Carolina Panthers
- Claimed off waivers: TE Temarrick Hemingway
- Signed: TE Ethan Wolf
Detroit Lions
- Waived: WR Brandon Reilly
Green Bay Packers
- Waived: WR Matt Eaton
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed off waivers: G Zack Golditch
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DB Jake Gervase, WR Jalen Greene, LB Ketner Kupp, DT Bryant Jones
Miami Dolphins
- Waived/injured: C Connor Hilliard, S Rob Rolle
San Francisco 49ers
- Waived: S Cameron Glenn
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: WR Joe Parker
Washington Redskins
- Waived: TE Elkanah Dillon
Colt McCoy Eyeing Minicamp Work
Jay Gruden studied this year’s quarterback class extensively, watching every throw each of the high- and mid-tier prospects made. The sixth-year Redskins coach said he did more work on this year’s QB class than he had in any draft since 2011, when the Bengals, Gruden’s employer at the time, selected Andy Dalton. In addition to Dwayne Haskins‘ arm strength, Gruden said the one-year Ohio State starter’s presence reminded him of Cam Newton.
“They’re all pretty confident kids, bright-eyed. I was impressed with the entire class,” Gruden said, via Albert Breer of SI.com. “But (Haskins) has a demeanor and aura about him, kind of similar to Cam Newton coming out, just an aura of confidence. There’s something about him. When you’re around him, you feel like he’s got it, everything’s going to be OK — that he’s going to be successful, because he believes it.”
Haskins and Case Keenum will split the Redskins’ first-team reps, with Colt McCoy still out because of his fractured fibula injury. However, McCoy is expected to participate partially in Washington’s minicamp and be ready for training camp, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). While Gruden said Haskins is no lock to play this year, nearly every recent first-round passer chosen becoming a first-season starter points to the newcomer taking the reins early.
Here is the latest from the NFC East, shifting to news out of Dallas:
- The Cowboys will not have Taco Charlton in action for a bit. The former first-round pick underwent ankle surgery recently, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets. While Watkins describes this as a minor procedure, Charlton will likely miss Dallas’ offseason activities. He is expected to be ready for camp. This marks the second operation Charlton has undergone this offseason. Shortly after the Cowboys’ 2018 season concluded, the 24-year-old defensive end had shoulder surgery.
- One of Charlton’s defensive line mates may have to face the prospect of missing regular-season time. Tyrone Crawford was popped with a misdemeanor charge of unlawful assembly related to the March incident at a Florida bar, Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com writes. An affidavit indicates Crawford, after being removed from the bar, threw punches at multiple security officers and hit at least one of them. This seems likely to produce a suspension for the veteran defensive lineman.
- Cowboys seventh-round running back Mike Weber injured his knee over the weekend, but it appears he avoided a serious setback. Weber went through an MRI but was back on the practice field Sunday, per Breer. Weber is expected to compete for time behind Ezekiel Elliott and fourth-round pick Tony Pollard, with Weber profiling as more of a traditional back compared to the versatile Pollard. The Cowboys lost previous Elliott backup Rod Smith to the Giants in free agency.
- Mike Remmers will not have a free pass to the Giants’ starting lineup. Offensive line coach Hal Hunter named incumbent Chad Wheeler the first-string right tackle last week, but that was before Remmers was signed. “It is up to (Wheeler) to hold that position,” Hunter said, via Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. “It is up to everyone else to beat him out.” Remmers’ contract (one year, $2.5MM), history (64 starts) and connections to Dave Gettleman and Pat Shurmur would point to him having the upper hand. Wheeler took over for Ereck Flowers early last season and graded as Pro Football Focus’ third-worst full-time tackle. The Giants were connected to multiple free agent right tackles this offseason.
Assault Charges Against Redskins’ Montae Nicholson Dropped
The assault and battery charges against Redskins safety Montae Nicholson have been dropped, as Kareem Copeland of the Washington Post tweets. Nicholson was cuffed late last year and the video of the incident appeared to show him brutally assaulting another man and knocking him unconscious. 
That wasn’t Nicholson’s first off-the-field incident, either. In 2017, cops arrested Nicholson under suspicion of driving while impaired. Still, Nicholson made seven starts for Washington last year and showed promise while on the gridiron. He could still face league suspension from the November arrest, but for now, he appears poised to be a part of the Redskins’ plans for 2019. He projects to see playing time in a safety group headlined by new addition Landon Collins.
Last year, Nicholson recorded 41 stops and one pass defensed in his 14 appearances. And, as a rookie, he notched his only interception to date in Week 3 against the Raiders.
More Minor NFL Transactions: 5/13/19
Here’s the latest round of minor moves from around the NFL (for this morning’s minor moves, click here):
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: TE Thomas Duarte
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Juwon Young
- Released: LB Tre’ Williams
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed off waivers: DB Mike Tyson (from Texans)
New England Patriots
- Released: WR Xavier Ubosi, OL Calvin Anderson
New York Giants
- Signed: DL Freedom Akinmoladun
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: QB Devlin Hodges, DT Greg Gilmore, WR Johnny Holton, DE Henry Mondeaux, OL Damian Prince, LB Tuzar Skipper
- Released: LB Keion Adams, DE Jay Hayes, DT Chris Nelson, OL R.J. Prince, QB Brogan Roback, WR Ka’Raun White
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Michael Burton, DL Geneo Grissom, OL Marcus Henry, OL Ulrick John, LB Colton Jumper, RB A.J. Ouellette, CB David Simmons Jr., WR Micah Wright
- Released: RB Darnell Holland, DT Tomasi Laulile, CB Darius Williams
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: QB Taryn Christion, TE Mik’Quan Deane
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DB Kareem Orr, WR Joe Parker, DB D’Andre Payne, DB LaDarius Riley
- Waived: DB Jonathan Crawford, DB Taj-Amir Torres, WR Isaac Zito
- Waived-injured: DB Hamp Cheevers
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DE Jonathan Bonner, G Jerald Foster, DB Deion Harris, DL Austin Maloata, RB Craig Reynolds
- Waived: RB Russell Hansbrough, DB Joshua Holsey, OT Roubbens Joseph
Latest On Redskins’ QB Situation
The Redskins’ starting quarterback race is wide open at the moment, but as John Keim of ESPN.com writes, 2019 first-rounder Dwayne Haskins is already making his case for the job.
Haskins has impressed after two days of rookie minicamp, and head coach Jay Gruden said of the Ohio State product, “[i]t’s been a treat. He’s made some throws that turn your head without a doubt.”
Of course, Haskins still has a long way to go, and two days of rookie minicamp will not make or break his future with Washington. But as the No. 15 overall pick, he will certainly be given ample opportunity to start right away, and his performance thus far has been promising.
The Redskins’ OTAs and mandatory minicamp will be critical in clarifying the team’s quarterback situation, because Gruden does not like to have a three-man competition in training camp. He believes, understandably, that it is too difficult to divide meaningful repetitions between three players, so the pressure is on Haskins and veterans Case Keenum and Colt McCoy over the coming weeks.
Given that Haskins has a lot of basics to master — like his footwork and dropping back from under center, which he did not do in college — Keenum and McCoy may have a leg up for the time being, especially since Gruden’s job security is tenuous at best and he needs to win games in 2019 to keep his post. But Haskins obviously has the highest upside of any of the three competitors, and the Redskins expect him to develop quickly.
Gruden said, “The most important thing in the next couple weeks is, let’s see how far we can push [Haskins]. Let’s see if there is a chance he can win the job. If we feel like he’s coming along slower, then we have to maybe push Case or push Colt. But if we feel like [Haskins] is coming along and he’s firing and he’s comfortable, then we’ll play it out and see what happens.”
Gruden sounds like a man who wants his rookie signal-caller to seize the opportunity and run with it, and Haskins is up for the challenge. He said, “I’ll be ready for whatever the coaches want from me, whether that’s starting right away or next year or through the season. I’ll prepare like I’m the starter.”
Dylan Donahue Gets Tryouts From Raiders, Redskins
Former Jets linebacker Dylan Donahue is looking to get back into the league. The West Georgia product had tryouts with the Redskins and Raiders this week, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The last we heard of Donahue from an NFL perspective was last September, when the league slapped him with a 14-game suspension. Donahue was a popular sleeper pick among some in the draft community when the Jets took him in the fifth round back in 2017. He got injured a few weeks into his rookie season while blocking a punt, and missed the rest of the year.
Off-field incidents quickly then derailed his career, and the Jets cut him right before the start of last season. Donahue was arrested twice for DWI last offseason, including one incident where he was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit a bus. Given the lengthy suspension, there was no reason for any team to sign him.
He then played for the Atlanta Legends during the ill-fated 2019 AAF season. Now that he’s served his suspension he’s looking to get back on a pro roster, and he’s apparently getting some legit interest. We’ll keep you posted if his comeback picks up anymore steam.