John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have had a crazy three-day stretch. Never in a million years could they have expected that a player would get arrested in their Tampa hotel. Let alone it being Reuben Foster, who was basically on a zero-tolerance policy. It was a jaw-dropping thing for everyone to read Saturday night. Especially when it turned out to involve the same woman who had recanted the previous situation from earlier in the spring. This entire story is just, well, very Reuben Foster.
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From texting around the NFL, I kept hearing that being arrested at the team hotel is an unprecedented situation. Talking with some of my friends in the league, they had never heard of such an occurrence. That is saying something in a league that has seen everything. Foster has given us multiple scenarios that would be hard to write in a movie script — it would seem too over the top. The storylines almost feel too far-fetched in real life. I have no clue if he is guilty or innocent, but he involves himself in situations over and over that are just not tolerable for a team attempting to build something. Eventually, you have to stand for something, even if your team is desperate for good players. Anyone being escorted off in handcuffs as you are entering a team meeting on the road really speaks for itself.
It would have been easy if he was a poor player or a late draft pick. He would have been cut immediately in the spring. There is no such thing as due process with NFL teams. They can cut you for anything. The better you are, the more rope you get. The worse you are, the quicker you get shown the door. That is just the way this world works. If you are more talented than your problems, teams will always make excuses for that individual player.
Here is another reality the 49ers surely understood once they decided to cut Foster: he would be claimed by another team. He is just too good of a player. It’s not shocking at all to me that the Redskins elected grab him. And then offer the PR spin immediately to try to quiet social media.
Washington on its waiver claim of former 49ers’ LB Reuben Foster: pic.twitter.com/t7dMCttIOn
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 27, 2018
A little more than 20 minutes later, the NFL officially took action. Which was somewhat surprising to me. The league usually doesn’t work that fast. But this was a high-profile player in a domestic violence situation. It really is a no-brainer.
Personal Conduct Policy: A player who is placed on (it) may not practice or attend games, but with club permission he may be present at the facility on a reasonable basis for meetings, individual workouts, therapy and rehabilitation, and other permitted non-football activities. https://t.co/NinXIraTWp
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 27, 2018
Many people have tweeted me asking if the 49ers made the right decision. Should they have stuck by him like they did earlier this year? What if the woman is making the story up again, which leads to Foster being exonerated? That question is fair and one that had to be asked.
Yet after thinking long and hard about it Sunday, my answer simple. The 49ers did the right thing. And I’m someone who usually leans with sticking with the talent until the bitter end. However, the 49ers could not keep hoping he’d change, despite his immense talent. It was time to stop holding out hope he’d change. His actions have consistently shown them otherwise.
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I was in favor of keeping Aldon Smith through his turmoil back in the day and then completely supported the Raiders signing him as well. I’m not a moral high-horse guy when it comes to pro sports. It’s hard to find elite talent. And while the Foster and Smith situations don’t parallel each other perfectly, they do have some similarities.
High-end troubled players that are drafted high often tease organizations and fans for years. Countless times, Foster has shown the organization who he is. He is a player who can’t be trusted to make good decisions. The quicker you officially move on, the faster the organization can truly focus on his roster spot. History has shown us it usually doesn’t change for these types of guys. They will hold you hostage as long as you let them. Smith did forever. Foster was clearly on that path.
Lynch has taken some heat, and rightfully so the last couple months. His 2017 draft looks questionable at best. Solomon Thomas is just not good. Foster is now gone. Missing on multiple first-round picks is crippling. It sets your organization back, especially when you are a young football team. Those two players should have been locks as starters for years to come — except one is gone and the other struggles to get consistent snaps.
But the 49ers’ 2017 draft was more than just those two misses. Akhello Witherspoon is not a good corner and Joe Williams is long gone. C.J. Beathard is sitting behind an undrafted free agent and Trent Taylor can’t crack the starting lineup. Let’s just say, thank God for George Kittle.
Now, the organization did bounce back with a better draft in 2018. That is not really arguable at this point. They landed Mike McGlinchey, who has been fantastic. People forget, but their second-round pick did land them their (in theory) franchise quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. Fred Warner has made the Foster situation sting a little less. He leads the team in tackles and hit the ground running from Day 1 this season. Dante Pettis has battled injuries this season but had his best day of the season Sunday in Tampa.
But for the 49ers to take a step in 2019, their upcoming draft is make-or-break. Especially because they are in the driver’s seat for the top pick. If they are going to take a leap next season, they need several more impact players.
ICYMI, updated @NFLDraft order through Week 12
1) #Raiders
3) #Jets
T-4) https://t.co/WbzGcMUFti pic.twitter.com/Hbcf2H3XEM— NFL Draft (@NFLDraft) November 27, 2018
But the draft is about much more than the first round. If they hold onto this position, that also means they would have the first pick in every round. That is so valuable. You have full control at the start of Day 2 and Day 3 when it comes to trade or talent. You control all three days in the draft. What makes the 49ers such an unusual team in the potential No. 1 draft spot is that they don’t need a quarterback. Hell, they don’t even need a backup. It’s pretty clear they have two guys who could fill that spot behind Garoppolo.
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I have said that it’s impossible to judge this team, and their management, with its quarterback gone. If Garoppolo had played every game and they were still 2-8, they’d deserve all the heat in the world. However, any team that loses its quarterback in mid-September is in for a long season. It’s just the nature of the sport. It’s why the Raiders’ season is so baffling. Despite trading key players, if your quarterback is a maximum-money player, you should still be able to win five or six games.
That being said, 2019 will be a pressure-packed offseason. The biggest since the Jim Harbaugh arrival. There is no more waiting period with the quarterback returning. Look at the Houston Texans. Deshaun Watson returned from an ACL injury and they are now playoff bound. Now, obviously they have a better roster than the 49ers, but when you factor in the money they will have, combined with the draft capital, the excuses are over for the 49ers. It’s time to show something. Either compete or face legitimate questions about your ability to build a team.
Plus, by removing Foster from the future plans, the brass doesn’t need to worry about him this offseason. Or whether they should use a pick or money on his replacement. It’s obvious now they must. They can just focus on the future, instead of letting his issues hang over the organization like a cloud of nervous energy that will inevitably lead to sleepless nights. Let’s all just face reality — this spring will define whether Lynch and Shanahan know how to save this once-proud franchise. Cutting Foster was just the start.
(Photo: Marcio Jose Sanchez)