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The Washington Commanders selected Illinois defensive tackle Johnny Newton in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Newton is an exciting prospect who flashes potential as a penetrating interior pass rusher. He was viewed as a consensus first-round pick, though he ultimately fell in the draft due to injury concerns. Newton will soon have another surgery for a recently-discovered injury.
According to ESPN's John Keim, Commanders rookie Johnny Newton will soon undergo surgery to repair an injury on his left foot. Four months ago he had a procedure done on his right foot to treat a similar injury.
Dan Quinn said he's glad that Newton will have the procedure now rather than “the end of August or in September where it sets you back.” Unfortunately for Commanders' fans, he did not provide a timetable for Newton's return.
For context, Newton had his first surgery in January. He did not participate in drills at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine in February, but he did give it a go at a personal pro day on April 16th. If this surgery features a similar recovery time, it's possible Newton will be healthy by the regular season. However, he'll have missed valuable preseason reps and will be forced to play catchup if he wants to see the field during his rookie season.
On draft night, Newton said, “I'm fully healed now. I'm fully ready to go. The injury happened midseason, got surgery on it in January, healed up, fully healed, then I did a pro day back in Illinois and ever since then I've been ready to go.”
Washington can't wait to get Newton on the field and see what they've got in the young rookie.
“Man, do we have high hopes for him,” Quinn said. “He's such a kick-ass competitor.”
Recapping the Commanders' exciting offseason
The Washington Commanders have seriously overhauled much of their organization over the past several months.
They started at the top with a new ownership group, general manager Adam Peters, and head coach Dan Quinn.
Washington were major players during free agency, adding several players who could start in 2024. They brought in Austin Ekeler to pair with Brian Robinson Jr. and Tyler Biadasz to hold down the interior of the offensive line. The Commanders added a mixture of starters and depth on defense, headlined by linebackers Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner as well as safety Jeremy Chinn.
The Commanders kept their foot on the pedal in the 2024 NFL Draft. The team had one of the strongest drafts of any team, headlined by second overall pick QB Jayden Daniels. Washington also added a platoon of day two picks like Johnny Newton, cornerback Mike Sainristil, tight end Ben Sinnott, and wide receiver Luke McCaffrey.
Washington added a franchise QB and several instant starters in one offseason. Those players who will not start in year one should have roles with the Commanders in the future. That is incredibly solid work.
Conservatively, the Commanders will have six new starters (Daniels, Ekeler, Biadasz, Luvu, Wagner, Chinn) in 2024 thanks to their franchise-redefining offseason.
