Former NFL OL Ramon Foster Rips Bills For Signing Wrestler Gable Steveson
Last week, the Buffalo Bills signed Gable Steveson — an Olympic gold medalist and one of the most dominant collegiate wrestlers in history — to a three-year rookie deal. Pretty cool, considering he's never even played football before. But not everyone is thrilled about the move.
Former NFL offensive linesman Ramon Foster, who played 10 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, recently chatted with Nashville's 104.5 The Zone about Steveson's signing. And he's not a fan.
"Hate it. Hate every bit of this. No, you were pro in a different sport. Hate it," Foster said. "And I ain't mad at him. Just calling me a hater cause I hate this. You can't just show up to go practice and think that you can do this.
"Now, wrestlers are a big part of this. I know for sure Pittsburgh's rookie last year, Keannu Benton was a wrestler, okay? Their draft pick this year, Zach Frazier was a (high school) wrestler. Wrestling is a cool part of playing football."
Ramon Foster is not on board with the Gable Steveson signing.
(USA TODAY Sports & Getty Images)
But being a good wrestler, Foster explained, doesn't automatically make you a good football player.
"This dude's trying to come out here and play football. I hope they line him up on a nine-on-seven. Do you hear me? Put him on Dawkins, Dion Dawkins, and just let him have his way with him," Foster said.
"I'm tired of these folks just trying to walk out here and think, 'oh because I'm physical, I'm strong, I can move good in quick space, that I can play in the NFL.' No, boo that man."
Steveson won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics as a super heavyweight. At 21 years old, he was the youngest to win Olympic gold at that level. In college at Minnesota, Steveson won three Big Ten championships from 2020-22 and NCAA Division I championships in folkstyle wrestling in 2021 and 2022. He is also a two-time winner of the Dan Hodge Trophy, awarded to the nation's top college wrestler.
Gable Steveson Has Never Played Football Before
In fact, the first time he ever put on cleats was at a recent workout for the Bills. But head coach Sean McDermott — who has a championship high school wrestling background — believes the 6-foot-1, 275-pounder can make an impact on the defensive line.
Foster, on the other hand, does not.
"You want to come out here and play football, and on top of this, you don't have your little leotard anymore. You got pads on... You got to wear cleats. We don't have the little slippery shoes on on the soft mat. We ain't got none of that," Foster continued.
"And guess what? You actually have to run to the play, you actually got to be aggressive enough to know that we will trap you. I can't wait to do a wham play on a guy like this. Set him up with a fake block, 'oh guess what? Here's my right guard. Welcome to the show.'"
As a complete novice, Steveson is realistically fighting for a spot on the practice squad in 2024. If he did manage to make the roster, though, the 24-year-old would be looking to join Bob Hayes as the only athlete ever to win a Super Bowl ring and an Olympic gold medal.
"Get him out of here," Foster said. "No way he makes this damn roster."