Jay Gruden on Mason Foster: ‘There’s no really good timing to releasing a player like that’

RICHMOND — Redskins coach Jay Gruden said Wednesday the team released linebacker Mason Foster because of the youth it has at inside linebacker.

The Redskins released their former defensive captain a day before the team reported for training camp — leading Foster’s agent, Blake Baratz, to sound off on the decision. Baratz tweeted there was “zero good faith” in the NFL and blasted Washington for not giving a “straight answer” as to why he had been released.

Washington saved $4 million with the move.

“There’s no really good timing to releasing a player like that,” Gruden said. “He’s a good player for us, a great player for us. He led the team in tackles, but we feel really good about the youth that we have at linebacker. Adding (Jon) Bostic helped out a lot, but we also have Shaun Dion (Hamilton) and Josh Harvey-Clemons. Cole Holcomb, we thought had an excellent OTA session. Marquis Flowers showed great athletic ability and speed. We have B.J. Blunt as a free agent we like from McNeese State.

“We feel good about the linebacker depth that we have right now.”

Foster spent four seasons with the Redskins, being named a captain last season. He finished last year seventh league-wide in tackles with 131, but the 30-year-old also struggled in pass coverage. In December, Foster was also caught up in a social media controversy when private messages leaked of him disparaging the team’s fanbase.

Foster’s release was somewhat surprising, given Washington had also lost Reuben Foster to a torn ACL in May. But the Redskins do have a number of young players at inside linebacker. Holcomb was a fifth-round pick this year, while Hamilton was drafted in the sixth year last year. Of the group, Bostic is the oldest — but he’s only 28 and started 14 games with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018.

Speaking to Sirius XM, Foster said the timing of his release was “a little crazy.”

“It was kind of surprising but at the end of the day, it’s a business and stuff happens,” Foster said. “But the timing of it kind of was a little crazy because I was just telling everybody I was packing my bags, I was leaving to the airport [for training camp] when I got the call. But you just got to keep moving forward, and I mean keep working.

“So now I’ll bounce back and continue to work. I wish them the best, but the timing was a little crazy, but you know, you just got to keep working.”