49ers GM John Lynch says team will have contingency plan if Reuben Foster suspended

INDIANAPOLIS - General manager John Lynch on Wednesday acknowledged the 49ers must have a contingency plan in place should inside linebacker Reuben Foster, who was arrested twice in two months, be forced to sit out games - or worse - the 2018 season.

“That would be something that we have to take into account, whether it be in free agency or not, whether it be re-signing our own guys or whether it be in the draft,” Lynch said during a lunch with reporters. “That’s certainly something we’re aware of and are taking into account.

It was the first time Lynch or anyone with the 49ers spoke extensively about Foster since he was arrested on Feb. 11 and charged with domestic violence, making threats and having an illegal weapon. That followed a January arrest in Alabama for marijuana possession.

Lynch said he and the 49ers want to be as candid as possible with the public and admitted, “We’ve been a little quiet” with Foster’s situation. “And that’s for a reason,” he said. “There’s places I can’t and won’t go.”

When another 49ers starter, cornerback Tramaine Brock, was arrested for domestic abuse last year, the team cut him the next day.

The 49ers seem willing to let the legal process play out in Foster’s case. The Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office is investigating the incident and has until next month to consider the formal charges.

Lynch was asked about the discrepancy between Brock’s and Foster’s cases.

“Listen, I know there’s a lot of conjecture as to, ‘Well, of course Brock wasn’t the player that Reuben is,’” Lynch said. “I would counter to say that he was a starting cornerback for us. And we didn’t take that lightly.”

Foster was arrested in Los Gatos, a few miles south of the 49ers’ training facility, after his longtime girlfriend called police and said he dragged her out of the house. The NFL is investigating the situation, which means that the linebacker, a former first-round pick whom the 49ers feel can be a star on defense, could be subject to both the league’s personal conduct policy and its substance abuse policy. Both could mean a suspension this season.

In addition to his marijuana arrest, Foster failed a drug test at last year’s scouting combine due to a diluted sample. He also was sent home early from the combine after an altercation with a hospital worker.

“You remember this time last year, there was a lot of discussion about Reuben,” Lynch said. “One thing we knew was we were going to have to put great structure around him. I think one lesson I’ve learned is it’s probably a lot easier to do that in a college atmosphere than it is in the NFL. These guys have to be men.”

In Dallas, receiver Dez Bryant agreed to a series of guidelines from the team following some ugly incidents early in his career. They include stipulations like no alcohol, strict curfews, a round-the-clock security team, team drivers and other rules.

It didn’t sound as if the 49ers had anything that drastic in mind for Foster, and Lynch noted that the team already had measures in place for young players.

“We have talked with Reuben and the context in a broad sense of what we discussed with Reuben is just our expectations for him and our expectations for all our players,” Lynch said. “We have a high standard. We made that very clear with him. We remain in communication.”

The 49ers expect to have one inside linebacker, Malcolm Smith, back from a pectoral injury this offseason and have two young linebackers, Elijah Lee and Mark Nzeocha, under contract for next season. But given Foster’s tenuous situation, it could be a position they have to consider in coming months.