AUGUST 20: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Thursday (via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala) there is no firm timetable for Newton regarding his recovery. An absence spanning multiple months should be expected, but clarity on Newton’s late-season availability is currently absent.
AUGUST 19: The Commanders have been hoping to see former second-round defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton live up to his draft status as he enters Year 3, but that hope will have to wait as NFL insider Jordan Schultz reports that Newton “is expected to miss significant time” after undergoing “surgery for a torn pectoral muscle.” The 23-year-old played in all but one game over his first two years of NFL play, but he’s now likely to miss most of his third season.
A standout defensive tackle at Illinois, Newton finished his collegiate career as an All-American, totaling 13.0 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss over his final two years. The Commanders took him early into the second round in 2024 despite rostering Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, and another former second-rounder in Phidarian Mathis at the time. Having so many capable bodies in the room made it so that a resurfaced foot injury, which would end up holding Newton out of his rookie season opener, was not catastrophic.
Newton recovered quickly, though, and was able to make his NFL debut in Week 2 of his rookie season. This was a huge break for Washington as Allen and Mathis would go on to miss a combined 14 games. Newton found himself in the starting lineup by Week 7 and stayed there for the rest of the regular season. Allen returned from injury when the postseason rolled around, but Newton still played a significant role off the bench as the Commanders made their way to the NFC Championship Game. He finished his rookie year with two sacks, six tackles for loss, and seven quarterback hits in 16 games with 11 starts.
In Year 2, Newton served as the first man off the bench behind Payne and Javon Kinlaw. As injuries led to fewer points scored by the offense and opponents ran more with leads over the Commanders, the team wasn’t able to rely on Newton as much due to his weaknesses in defending the run. Still he proved plenty useful in contributing to Washington’s pass rush. The Commanders started Newton in the final two games of the regular season, and thanks to a three-sack day in Week 17, he finished his sophomore campaign with five sacks, four tackles for loss, and nine quarterback hits.
2026 felt like a make-or-break season for Newton. Though he’s proven to be a capable asset in rushing the passer, his struggles in stopping the run are killing his ability to stay on the field. Washington added free agent Tim Settle to a defensive line that returns Payne and Kinlaw, showing that they aren’t going to wait around for Newton to be ready for more snaps. Today’s updates on Newton’s recent injury could be a big hurdle in his development and potential for a new contract in the future.
