The Washington Commanders picked up some defensive line help on Monday as they have signed former New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a three-year deal. The deal is worth $45 million, and $30 million is guaranteed. Kinlaw is a former first round draft pick, but he hasn't quite lived up to the hype so far during his NFL career. The Commanders are hoping to see that change while Kinlaw is in Washington.

“Sources: DT Javon Kinlaw to the Commanders, as he gets a 3 year, $45M deal with $30M guaranteed,” Ian Rapoport said on Bluesky.

Javon Kinlaw started his career back in 2020 with the 49ers. He spent four seasons in San Francisco before spending this past season with the Jets. Kinlaw has been putting up better numbers during recent years, and last season in New York was the best one of his career so far. He finished the season with 40 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Kinlaw is getting better and has the potential to be a key player for the Commanders.

A big reason why Kinlaw didn't pan out during the first few years of his career was injury trouble. He was only able to play in four games during his second year in the league, and six during his third year.

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Kinlaw tore his ACL early in his career, and his missed games stemmed from that injury. He ended up having surgery to fix the issue, but fluid buildup in his knee also ended up being a big problem. All in all, that was a major setback that derailed the early years of Kinlaw's career. Now that he is healthy and playing consistently, he is starting to look more and more like the player everyone thought he would be.

The Commanders emerged as one of the best teams in the NFL this past season as they ended up going all the way to the NFC Championship game. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is the future of the franchise, and he had the offense looking elite in just his first year in the league. However, the defense still had some issues, and that is the big thing that the Commanders are looking to fix during the offseason.

Signing Javon Kinlaw certainly won't solve all of the defensive issues, but this could end up being an important addition to the team. If Kinlaw can continue to show improvements like he has in the last couple of seasons, he can make an impact on this Commanders defense.