The USFL is now over after the Birmingham Stallions knocked off the Pittsburgh Maulers 28-12 last night in Canton, Ohio, and that means that NFL teams, like the Steelers, can now start to circle the waters around the players. One of the most intriguing players on the Maulers is former 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster.
Foster shined in the game, notching a strip sack, a key 4th down stop, and generally flying all around the football field. After watching him play, one former Steelers linebacker thinks that Foster could end up playing for the other Pittsburgh team with the USFL season concluded. That linebacker is Vince Williams, who seemed impressed by Foster.
Yeah he’s going to end up playing for the other Pittsburgh football team. https://t.co/LqiSSEQMvB
— Vince Williams (@VinnyVidiVici98) July 2, 2023
Foster is never going to have talent questions. But it was the off field questions along with injuries that led him out of the NFL and to the USFL. He is a former top prospect that was looking for a renaissance in the USFL. The No. 31 overall pick by the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, despite a failed drug test at the NFL Combine and being sent home from testing after getting into an argument with a hospital worker.
He was suspended after multiple arrests in 2018 and released by the 49ers, catching on with the Washington Commanders. There, he sat out one season while dealing with his legal issues, then tore his ACL, costing him the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Foster did not return to football until this season with the Maulers. He proved to be a playmaker and one of the best coverage linebackers in the USFL.
Now, teams will likely come calling for Foster, who has all the talent to still be something in the NFL. He’s 29 years old, but the Steelers are a team that could use some inside linebacker help. Foster could be that guy who maybe sparks something in training camp if this comes to fruition.