49ers should shut down linebacker Reuben Foster for rest of 2017
By Peter Panacy
San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster has had an injury-riddled rookie year, and the Niners shouldn’t hesitate to shut him down for the rest of 2017.
The San Francisco 49ers need to wrap rookie linebacker Reuben Foster in bubble wrap and shut him down for the rest of the 2017 season.
Winless through nine games, after falling 20-10 to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, the Niners are focused on nothing but how to improve between now and 2018. On a team where talent is lacking on both sides of the ball, continuing to start Foster does almost nothing to determine a long-term impact.
Injuries have been a theme for head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad this season, and Foster is right in the thick of it. The former Alabama product played only 11 snaps before suffering a high-ankle sprain back in Week 1.
This injury held him out until Week 7, but then a ribs injury forced him to miss Week 8.
Last Sunday’s game versus Arizona was the first time this season Foster was available at the final whistle.
A scary fact: Reuben Foster’s label as an injury prone player has been nothing but true his rookie season
— Kevin Jones (@Mr_KevinJones) November 5, 2017
San Francisco 49ers
Reuben Foster’s Ankle Injury Potentially Worse than Thought
I’m no medical expert, but I do know high-ankle sprains are weird things. You see them in basketball a lot — the Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry had chronic ankle problems early in his career.
According to the American Orthopedic Foot & Ankle Society, such injuries can take at least six to seven weeks to heal, sometimes longer.
The latter could apply to Foster.
During his postgame pressure (h/t David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone), head coach Kyle Shanahan eluded to the possibility Foster’s ankle isn’t fully healed:
"I know he went down that one time in the game. Just some lingering effects of his high-ankle sprain which I think will probably continue to bother him throughout the year, but I was glad to see him come back and finish it."
Shanahan was speaking to the moment where Foster went down after making a play, holding the same ankle he injured back in Week 1.
Why 49ers Should Shut Reuben Foster Down
Foster is already the Niners’ second-best player on defense behind defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. Anyone who has watched Foster on the field can easily determine he’s NFL ready and doesn’t need any additional reps to get acclimated or “caught up” with what it takes to succeed at the pro level.
The only loss would be, possibly, Foster missing out on experience from relaying signals and calling defensive plays out to his teammates. But that’s minor.
If the 49ers were on the outside of the playoff picture with a remote chance to break into a wild-card spot, it would make sense to keep him on the field. But they’re not, and playing Foster does little except to expose him to more setbacks.
And anytime Foster goes down on the field, fans hold their collective breath.
Just to be sure, we asked you, 49ers fans, if you felt the same way. It seems to be the case:
Should the #49ers shut down LB Reuben Foster for the rest of the year to get him healthy?
— Niner Noise (@SFNinerNoise) November 6, 2017
San Francisco needs to let Foster heal over the rest of the season. There’s no reason nor benefit to risk more injury in what has turned into a lost season.
In the meantime, use the remaining games to evaluate other players filling in for the vast number of injured Niners. This should help determine what areas need to be addressed, in terms of depth and talent.
Next: The good, bad & ugly from 49ers' Week 9 loss to Cardinals
Foster is already proven for 2018. That’s all the Niners needed to know.