As the USFL prepares for its second season, a number of NFL hopefuls are signing with the upstart league in hopes of continuing to play their trade professionally. One such player is pretty well known in college and NFL circles.
Per NFL insider Ian Rapoport, linebacker Reuben Foster is signing with the USFL’s Pittsburgh Maulers. Foster has been trying to return to the NFL after battling a serious knee injury and hopes to use the USFL as a platform to show teams that he can still play.
Foster played for the University of Alabama from 2013 to 2016, winning a national title in 2015 before enjoying a breakout season as a senior. In 2016, Foster earned First-Team All-SEC, Unanimous All-American and Butkus Award honors as he recorded over 100 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and five sacks.
Foster’s college excellence earned him the No. 31 overall selection by the San Francisco 49ers in the 2017 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, trouble with the law soon cut his career short.
After a solid rookie season in 2017, Foster was arrested twice in 2018 and was waived by the 49ers in the middle of the season.
Foster was claimed off waivers by Washington that season but never played a game as the legal process played out. The following year, during his first offseason practice with the team, Foster tore his ACL and LCL – an injury which would keep him on injured reserve for two straight seasons.
Foster was out of football in 2021 and attempted a comeback with Miami in 2022 with a workout. The Dolphins never signed him though.
Will Reuben Foster find his niche in the USFL?