Former NFL linebacker Reuben Foster is attempting a comeback.
The former first-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers in 2017 has been out of the NFL since the conclusion of the 2020 season, in which his contract ended with the then-Washington Football Team.
On Friday, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Foster had signed with the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL. The USFL is a spring league, and Foster hopes to show NFL teams he can still play and earn an opportunity to make an NFL roster in 2023.
Foster was in his second season with the 49ers in 2018 when he was arrested for domestic violence. San Francisco released Foster in Nov. 2018, and Washington claimed him. The move drew plenty of criticism at the time, but Foster was later cleared of those charges.
Unfortunately for Foster, he injured his knee during OTAs in May 2019 and would miss the 2019 season. After Ron Rivera was hired as head coach in 2020, Foster had another chance to make Washington’s roster. He was activated from the physically unable to perform list in July 2020 and joined the 90-man roster two weeks later. Sadly, Foster would again be placed on IR on Sept. 5, ending his time in Washington without ever appearing in a game.
Foster was a first-round pick in the same draft that Washington selected Jonathan Allen. Many analysts believed that Foster was the best defensive player in that draft. Therefore when Washington claimed Foster, it was viewed as a good football move, but injuries ruined his NFL future.
Now, still only 28 years old, Foster is giving his NFL dreams another shot.
