Robert Foster Jr. (born May 7, 1994) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

wide receiver who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

and signed with the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2018. He has also been a member of the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, and

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

Early life

Foster attended Central Valley High School in

Monaca, Pennsylvania Monaca ( ) is a borough in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, United States along the Ohio River, northwest of Pittsburgh. The population was 5,615 as of the 2020 census. First incorporated as Phillipsburg as the home of the New Philadelphia Societ ...

, just outside

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, where he played both

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

and basketball. While on the way to a football camp, he survived a shooting in which one of his teammates was killed. Coming out of high school, Foster was the nation's No. 2 receiver ranked 23rd overall in the 2013 class. A 4-star recruit, Foster committed to

over offers from

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

, and

, among others.

College career

During his redshirt sophomore season in 2015, Foster suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after catching 10 receptions 116 yards and two touchdowns in the first three games. He was limited in 2016 and considered transferring before deciding to stay with Alabama. In 2017, he caught 14 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown. Overall, he caught 35 passes for 389 yards and three scores during his career at Alabama.

Professional career

Despite limited college statistics, Foster was invited to the 2018 NFL Scouting Combine due to his athleticism. He clocked a 4.41-second

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL Draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

, fifth overall among receivers.

Buffalo Bills

2018

Foster signed with the

as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2018, reuniting with

Brian Daboll Brian Michael Daboll (; born April 14, 1975) is a Canadian-born American football coach who is the head coach of the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the offensive coordinator for the Cleveland Brown ...

, his one-time offensive coordinator at Alabama. In Week 2, against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

, he recorded his first two professional receptions, which went for 30 yards. He was waived on October 18, 2018, and was re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on November 10, 2018. Foster recorded his first 100-yard receiving game against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

on November 11, finishing with 105 yards on three receptions. Against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

two weeks later following the Bills' bye week, he recorded his first receiving touchdown, a 75-yard pass from

Josh Allen Josh or Joshua Allen may refer to: * Josh Allen (offensive lineman) (born 1991), former American football player * Josh Allen (quarterback) (born 1996), American football quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills since 2018 * Josh Allen (defen ...

. Foster finished that game with two receptions for 94 yards and the touchdown. In Week 13 against the

he only caught one pass for 27 yards. In the next game against the New York Jets on December 9, he made a career high seven catches on eight targets for 104 yards. Against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

the following week, Foster excelled again, catching four passes for 108 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown from Allen, en route to a 14–13 Bills win. In the season finale, Foster caught four passes for 21 yards and a touchdown in a 42–17 win over Miami. Foster mentioned being cut from the team, demoted to the practice squad, and being brought back again as a "wake-up call" that sparked his late-season success. He finished his rookie season with 27 receptions for 541 yards and 3 touchdowns while averaging 20 yards per reception and was named by ''

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'' to its all-rookie team as an offensive flex player.

2019

Foster was sparsely used in the Bills offense during his second professional season, as the team added veterans

John Brown John Brown most often refers to: *John Brown (abolitionist) (1800–1859), American who led an anti-slavery raid in Harpers Ferry, Virginia in 1859 John Brown or Johnny Brown may also refer to: Academia * John Brown (educator) (1763–1842), Ir ...

and

Cole Beasley Cole Dickson Beasley (born April 26, 1989) is an American football wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Southern Methodist University and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as ...

during the offseason. He also struggled with injuries during preseason. Foster caught just three of 18 targets for 64 yards, and was made inactive during the Bills' playoff game against the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...

in favor of Duke Williams. He also rushed twice for 29 yards.

2020

Foster was re-signed to a one-year contract by the Bills. He was waived as part of final roster cuts on September 5, 2020.

Green Bay Packers

On September 9, 2020, Foster was signed to the

' practice squad.

Washington Football Team

On October 22, 2020, Foster was signed off the Packers' practice squad by the

Washington Football Team The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

Miami Dolphins

On March 18, 2021, Foster was signed by the

. He was waived/injured on August 24, 2021, and placed on injured reserve. He was released on August 30.

Dallas Cowboys

On September 14, 2021, Foster was signed to the

practice squad. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on January 18, 2022. He was waived on March 11, 2022.

New York Giants

On March 14, 2022, Foster was signed by the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

. On August 19, 2022, Foster was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. He was released on August 25. On October 10, 2022, he signed to the Giants practice squad. He was released on November 29.

Indianapolis Colts

On December 13, 2022, the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

signed Foster to their practice squad. He was released two days later on December 15, 2022.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Alabama Crimson Tide bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foster, Robert 1994 births Living people Alabama Crimson Tide football players American football wide receivers Buffalo Bills players Dallas Cowboys players Green Bay Packers players Indianapolis Colts players Miami Dolphins players New York Giants players Washington Football Team players People from Monaca, Pennsylvania Players of American football from Beaver County, Pennsylvania