Getty Images

Washington knows it will be taking flak for claiming linebacker Reuben Foster on waivers. And the organization seems to be OK with that.

“At the end of the day we decided to make the move, and we’ll deal with the outcry, so to speak,” coach Jay Gruden told reporters on Wednesday.

Gruden repeatedly vowed to “get to the bottom” of the incident that sparked Foster’s release by the 49ers, the team that made him a first-round pick in 2017. And it became obvious that Washington made the move with limited information about what transpired.

“I’ve read a little bit about what’s happened,” Gruden said, “and it’s not good.”

Gruden also repeatedly pointed out that there’s no guarantee Foster will ever play for the team, and Gruden said it will be a “long process” before Foster would get the green light to dress for the team.

Those comments underscore the reality that Washington claimed Foster not with 2018 in mind, but with the goal of getting him on the field in 2019, after the situation is resolved and after Foster serves whatever unpaid suspension may be coming.