The Washington Commanders have added depth and size to their defensive line by signing former San Francisco 49ers first-round pick Javon Kinlaw. Here are five things to know about the team's newest lineman.
1. He had a rough upbringing in D.C.
Kinlaw immigrated to the United States from Trinidad and Tobago with his family when he was 2 years old. His childhood was difficult, as they moved three times from Washington, D.C. to Mississippi and South Carolina. Kinlaw doesn't normally talk about that portion of his life but remembers not having a place to stay at times, going to school in the same clothes every day and filling up buckets of water from a neighbor's house just to take a bath.
"Just being a kid, going through a lot of trauma, seeing things that kids shouldn't see, from seeing people lose their lives -- whatever you can think of," **Kinlaw said in a 2024 ESPN article.**
Kinlaw eventually moved in with his father and became a three-star athlete. He played on the offensive and defensive lines at North Charleston High and Goose Creek.
2. He started at the JUCO level before moving to Division I.
Kinlaw's talent and size drew attention from multiple college programs, including the Steve Spurrier-led South Carolina Gamecocks. He was only playing football "to pick up a hobby and stay off the streets at first," but once he got scholarship offers -- **he joked in an article that he didn’t know what that was** -- a future in the sport started to become a reality.
Kinlaw's grades, however, were an obstacle. Will Muschamp, Spurrier's successor at South Carolina, told him that he should enroll in the GED program at Jones County Junior College in Mississippi, where he could earn his degree while working on his skill set as a player.
Kinlaw excelled at Jones County Junior College, both in the classroom and on the field. He earned his degree in a year and was named to the dean's list. On the field, Kinlaw earned National Junior College Athletic Association All-American honors and received the MACJA South Division MVP award for recording 8.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
Kinlaw transferred to South Carolina the following year and had a strong career with the Gamecocks, recording 82 tackles with 10 sacks and eight pass breakups in three seasons.
3. He started feeling like "the Player I Know I Can Be" last year.
Kinlaw had a rough start to his NFL career after being taken 14th overall by the 49ers in 2020. He played 14 games as a rookie but missed most of the 2021 and 2022 seasons with knee issues. Kinlaw stayed healthy in 2023, recording 25 tackles and 3.5 sacks in 17 games, but was ultimately released by the 49ers in the offseason and signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets.
The change of scenery, in addition to recovering from his knee injuries, had Kinlaw confident heading into his fifth season.
"This year's been my first time feeling like I can really be who I think I can be, who I know I can be." **Kinlaw said last offseason.** "Point blank. Period. When I was coming out, I knew it was going to take me some time."
Kinlaw added that he felt explosive and violent on the field. His 2024 stats seem to verify that, as he recorded 40 tackles and 4.5 sacks, both of which were career highs, with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Kinlaw knows he still has room to grow, but the 27-year-old looks like he's ready to take another step forward in his career. Two of Washington's free agent acquisitions in 2024, Dorance Armstrong and Frankie Luvu, achieved that last season with a combined 13 sacks and 138 tackles. Perhaps Kinlaw can replicate some of that success with the Burgundy & Gold.
4. He's caught a shark and can juggle.
Kinlaw is a man of many talents, and that's not limited to what he can do on the field.
Kinlaw learned how to fish at 18 years old and started to get into deep-sea fishing around the time he was drafted by the 49ers. He knew he was going to start catching some bigger fish once he started expanding the hobby but wasn't expecting a shark to be on the other end of the line.
"He wasn't real big," **Kinlaw told Fangirl Sports Network in 2020.** "He was a baby shark. He might have been maybe four foot."
When he's not fishing, Kinlaw is able to practice another skill: juggling. His mom indirectly got him interested by buying him a Klutz book, a series specializing in how-to manuals for kids, that came with three bean bags. He never read the book but started throwing the bags in the air to try and catch them.
"I never even thought about trying to read it honestly," Kinlaw said. "I just wanted to play with the bean bags. It was hard to learn, though."
There's no telling whether Kinlaw has kept up with the hobby, but it would be a great way to impress his new teammates in Washington.
5. He's ready to make an impact for the Commanders.
Kinlaw made it clear from the start of his press conference that he wants to bring physicality to the Commanders' defensive line, and it's going to show up on the field.
"I can't wait to meet some of these guys and let them know that I'm here and with them," Kinlaw said. "As a player, I bring a lot of passion, a lot of energy. I play super hard, super aggressive."
As a self-proclaimed Washington fan growing up -- "point, blank, period" -- Kinlaw watched as the Commanders went on their impressive regular season and playoff run to the NFC Championship. He saw that they played hard and with a physical style, and the word around the league was that "you're gonna have to strap it up when you play against the Commanders."
And it wasn't just the obvious moments on offense or defense that impressed Kinlaw the most; the other parts of the team like their punt, punt return and field goal unit showed how tough the Commanders played on every snap.
"There's where you see what your team is made of," Kinlaw said. "When you look at that thing and how hard guys are playing, even on some areas where people are not even paying attention to, that's what you want to see."
That's what Kinlaw is all about, and he can't wait to add his skill set to the team.
"I'm just looking to be a great teammate," Kinlaw said.
