Pre-draft Prior to the Senior Bowl, Foster was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. On January 29, 2011, Foster played in the
2011 Senior Bowl and raised his draft stock after an impressive performance. He attended the
NFL Scouting Combine in
Indianapolis and was considered to be a top performer among his position group. On March 31, 2011, Foster attended Washington's pro day and chose to run to the 40-yard dash (4.74s), 20-yard dash (2.73s), 10-yard dash (1.62s), vertical jump (30.5"), short shuttle (4.48s), and three-cone drill (7.14s). At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Foster was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked as the tenth best outside linebacker prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2011 The
Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Foster in the third round (84th overall) of the
2011 NFL draft. Foster was the 11th outside linebacker drafted in 2011. On July 29, 2011, the Buccaneers signed Foster to a four-year, $2.78 million contract that includes a
signing bonus of $525,000. Throughout training camp, Foster competed to be the starting middle linebacker against
Tyrone McKenzie. His development and conversion to middle linebacker was delayed due to the
2011 NFL lockout. On August 24, 2011, Foster was fined $20,000 for a hit he delivered to
Chad Ochocinco during the Buccaneers' 31–14 loss to the
New England Patriots in their second preseason game. Ochocinco offered to pay the fine for him, as he disagreed with the league's decision, but the league stated that he would not be able to. Head coach
Raheem Morris named Foster the starting middle linebacker to begin the regular season after he had an impressive showing during the preseason. He made his professional regular season debut in the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opener against the
Detroit Lions and recorded seven combined tackles in their 27–20 loss. On September 18, 2011, Foster made his first career start and collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo), forced a fumble, and made his first career sack during a 24–20 victory at the
Minnesota Vikings in Week 2. Foster made his first career sack on Vikings' quarterback
Donovan McNabb for a six-yard loss in the second quarter. In Week 14, he recorded six combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception in the Buccaneers' 41–14 loss at the
Jacksonville Jaguars. Foster made his first career interception off a pass by Jaguars' quarterback
Blaine Gabbert, that was originally intended for tight end
Marcedes Lewis, in the endzone to secure a touchback during the third quarter. He finished his rookie season in 2011 with 84 combined tackles (58 solo), two pass deflections, two sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 16 games and 15 starts.
2012 On January 2, 2012, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Raheem Morris after they finished the 2011 season with a 4–12 record. Foster entered training camp as the starting middle linebacker and saw competition from
Adam Hayward after defensive coordinator
Bill Sheridan chose to try Foster out as an outside linebacker. Head coach
Greg Schiano named Foster the starting middle linebacker to begin the regular season, alongside outside linebackers
Quincy Black and
Lavonte David. On September 16, 2012, Foster collected a season-high 13 combined tackles (12 solo), a pass deflection, and an interception during a 41–34 loss at the
New York Giants in Week 2. Foster intercepted a pass by quarterback
Eli Manning, that was intended for tight end
Martellus Bennett, during the second quarter. In Week 17, he collected 12 combined tackles (11 solo) during a 22–17 win at the
Atlanta Falcons. He started in all 16 games in 2012 and recorded 105 combined tackles (82 solo), two sacks, a pass deflection, and an interception. He started in the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season-opener at the
New York Jets and recorded eight combined tackles and two sacks in their 18–17 loss. He made two sacks on quarterback
Geno Smith. On September 15, 2013, Foster made seven combined tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and returned an interception for his first career touchdown during a 16–14 loss against the
New Orleans Saints. Foster intercepted a pass by Saints' quarterback
Drew Brees, which was originally intended for tight end
Jimmy Graham, and returned it for an 85-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. In Week 11, he recorded three combined tackles, broke up a pass, and returned an interception for a touchdown before exiting in the second quarter of the Buccaneers' 41–28 victory against the
Atlanta Falcons after sustaining a
concussion. Foster intercepted a pass by Falcons' quarterback
Matt Ryan, that was intended for fullback
Patrick DiMarco, and returned it for a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Foster sustained a concussion after colliding with teammate
Dashon Goldson and was inactive for the Buccaneers' Week 12 victory at the
Detroit Lions. On December 1, 2013, Foster collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (five solo) during a 27–6 loss at the
Carolina Panthers in Week 13. On December 30, 2013, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Greg Schiano after they finished the season with a 4–12 record. He finished the
2013 season with 92 combined tackles (63 solo), seven pass deflections, three pass deflections, two interceptions, two sacks, and two touchdowns in 15 games and 13 starts. Defensive coordinator
Leslie Frazier implemented a defense that deployed the
Tampa 2 which stressed the use of the middle linebacker in pass coverage. On November 9, 2014, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 27–17 loss to the
Atlanta Falcons in Week 10. He was inactive for two games (Weeks 14–15) after injuring his
Achilles tendon. Foster was sidelined for the Buccaneers' Week 17 loss to the
New Orleans Saints after aggravating his Achilles tendon injury. He finished the
2014 season with 62 combined tackles (40 solo) and two pass deflections in ten games and ten starts.
Chicago Bears On March 24, 2015, the
Chicago Bears signed Foster to a one-year, $825,000 contract that includes $250,000 guaranteed and a
signing bonus of $80,000. Defensive coordinator
Vic Fangio held an open competition to name starting inside linebackers. Foster competed against
Jon Bostic,
Shea McClellin,
Sam Acho, and
Christian Jones. On September 4, 2015, the Chicago Bears waived Foster as part of their final roster cuts.
Washington Redskins On September 29, 2015, the
Washington Redskins signed Foster to a one-year, $745,000 contract. On December 7, 2015, Foster earned his first start of the season and recorded seven combined tackles during a 19–16 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys on
Monday Night Football. Foster started the last five games of the regular season (Weeks 13–17) after Perry Riley broke the fifth
metatarsal in his foot and underwent surgery. In Week 16, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles in the Redskins' 38–24 win at the
Philadelphia Eagles. He finished the
2015 season with 37 combined tackles (25 solo) in 13 games and five starts.
2016 On March 9, 2016, the Washington Redskins signed Foster to a two-year, $2.50 million contract with a signing bonus of $350,000. Head coach Jay Gruden named Foster and
Will Compton the starting inside linebackers to begin the regular season in 2016, along with outside linebackers
Ryan Kerrigan and
Preston Smith. He started in the
Washington Redskins' season-opener against the
Pittsburgh Steelers and recorded 14 combined tackles (nine solo) in their 38–16 loss. On January 1, 2017, Foster collected a career-high 17 combined tackles (15 solo) during a 19–10 loss to the
New York Giants in Week 17. He finished the
2016 season with 124 combined tackles (89 solo), three pass deflections, and a sack in 16 games and 13 starts.
2017 On January 5, 2017, the Washington Redskins fired defensive coordinator
Joe Barry. During training camp, Foster competed to be a starting inside linebacker against Will Compton. Head coach Jay Gruden named Foster and
Zach Brown the starting inside linebackers to begin the regular season, along with outside linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith. He started in the
Washington Redskins' season-opener against the
Philadelphia Eagles and collected a season-high nine combined tackles and recovered a
Carson Wentz fumble in the first quarter of their 30–17 loss. On September 17, 2017, Foster made six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by Rams' quarterback
Jared Goff late in the fourth quarter of the 27–20 victory at the
Los Angeles Rams in Week 2. He was inactive during the Redskins' Week 3 victory against the
Oakland Raiders due to a shoulder injury. On October 28, 2017, the Washington Redskins officially placed Foster on injured reserve due to a torn labrum he sustained in Week 2. He finished the season with 31 combined tackles (22 solo), a pass deflection, an interception, and was credited with half a sack in five games and four starts.
2018 in 2018 On January 25, 2018, Foster signed a two-year, $3.4 million contract. In Week 8, Foster collected a season-high 13 combined tackles (nine solo) during a 20–13 win at the
New York Giants. Foster started in all 16 games in 2018, and recorded a career-high 131 combined tackles (81 solo), four pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack. Foster was released by the team on July 23, 2019. ==NFL career statistics==