The Washington Commanders had a serious need to strengthen their defense, both against the run and pass, entering the 2025 offseason. They brought in several pieces to do so, but general manager Adam Peters referred to veteran Javon Kinlaw as "the big one."
While he's far from the missing piece that would fix the Commanders' defensive issues, they do believe he will play a large role in remedying them.
"He's explosive," Peters said at league meetings last week. "He's a tone-setter. He's physical. He can line up across the line."
Kinlaw, a first-round pick from San Francisco in 2020 when Peters was a member of the team's front office, returned to Washington, D.C., to play for his childhood team on a reported three-year deal. It was one of the few long-term contracts the Commanders gave out this season, as they chose to sign most of their two dozen free agents to one-year deals for the second straight year.
Peters said Kinlaw's "best football is still ahead of him," and the Commanders are banking on their belief that they can maximize the physical traits that enticed the 49ers so much when they drafted him. Up to this point in Kinlaw's career, there have been more flashes, rather than consistent production, for teams to go on. He's appeared in 58 games over the last five years and recorded 110 tackles and 9.5 sacks with the 49ers and New York Jets.
But as Peters pointed out, outlining Kinlaw's career requires more context. He only played in four games in 2021 because of a season-ending knee injury. He suffered another knee injury early in the 2022 season and missed 11 games before returning in Week 16. He's been healthy the last two seasons and appeared in 34 consecutive games.
Kinlaw's ability to fight through those injuries early in his career left an impression on Peters.
"To his credit, he fought through and came back even better, which was really impressive," Peters said. "And how much he played two years ago in San Francisco and how much he played last year, those are like his first two years, in essence. And he's got the hunger to get better and better. We like that just as much as anything about him."
It helps that Kinlaw is coming off his best season before joining the Commanders. He started all 17 games for the Jets and set career-highs in tackles (40) and sacks (4.5) with two forced fumbles. He'll need to do more to be the player Washington wants him to be, though, which is why Peters is excited to have defensive line coach Darryl Tapp, one of his former coaches with the 49ers, and head coach Dan Quinn work with Kinlaw to elevate his skill set.
"I think everything that we knew about him with his relationship with Tapp is a big deal," Peters said. "He's [Tapp's] doing a good job, but DQ can also help him. And DQ knows that position like the back of his hand."
Kinlaw's role on Washington's defensive line is still unclear, but Peters said he doesn't think Kinlaw will "live on the edge." The Commanders like that he can hold his own as an interior defender and penetrate off the edge. It fits into what the Commanders want to do with their defense, which is to fill it with versatile pieces that can be mixed and matched to fit any scenario.
So, for now, Kinlaw's role is to line up wherever the Commanders want him. Kinlaw, who played at 319 pounds with the Jets, said he wants to trim down to get some of his explosiveness back. That suits Washington just fine, because Peters knows he has the physical tools to do what's expected of him, regardless of how much weight he puts on or takes off.
"He can be 350 and be chiseled," Peters said. "He's a freak. It's unbelievable. I've seen him when he was as low as 275 in San Francisco and then as high as 330-plus last year with the Jets. So, he can play at any weight."
Peters also highlighted how Kinlaw played 60% of the defensive snaps for the Jets at "probably the heaviest I've seen him."
"It was really impressive," Peters said. "If he loses 10 or 15 pounds, if that makes him feel better, he's still gonna be just as effective. He's still gonna be a monster."
And if Kinlaw can live up to that moniker, it will prove that the Commanders' investment in him was worth it.
"We think he's gonna be a great Commander," Peters said.
