A morning roundup of content from the Washington Commanders on Thursday, July 25, 2024.
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The Washington Commanders got some good news to start training camp.
Just five days after Jer'Zhan Newton was placed on the active/non-football injury list, the Commanders officially activated the rookie defensive tackle, starting him on the path towards being fully healthy and making his NFL debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1.
During his press conference before the start of practice, head coach Dan Quinn said it was "great news" that Newton would be starting camp on the field with his teammates.
"He has absolutely busted his ass to do everything he can to get ready," Quinn said. "So, what a great sign for him."
Newton has been recovering from a Jones fracture in his foot that kept him from participating in rookie minicamp and OTAs. The Commanders were impressed with his approach to rehab over the summer, with general manager Adam Peters saying that "he's a monster and he wants to go, go, go."
However, the Commanders decided to exercise caution and place him on the NFI list to "reel him back."
"We're not playing any games anytime soon, but we expect it to be sooner rather than later that we release the reins and we're going to keep an eye on him throughout," Peters said July 23.
Less than 24 hours later, however, Newton's scans came back positive and were eventually cleared by doctors.
"In my head, I thought it would be later, but just because of the progress he made, we were able to speed some of that up. So that was good to see," Quinn said.
Quinn compared Newton's next few days as his "offseason training" to get him up to speed with his teammates. He'll participate in individual drills but stay out of the 11-on-11 portions of practice. They want Newton to focus on mastering his technique so that "he doesn't miss one step in his development."
A former team captain for Illinois, Newton was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 for leading the conference with 44 pressures as an interior defender. Despite being considered one of the best defensive linemen in the draft, Newton fell to the second round, where the Commanders snagged him with the No. 36 overall pick.
Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne are the clear starters at defensive tackle, but having a player of that caliber in the rotation should elevate the group.
"Obviously, he's a great player," Allen said. "We got him super high in the draft and I'm excited to see what he can do out there. So, he looked good. They're trying to take it slow with him, obviously you don't want to throw him out there too soon, but from what I've seen, he looks really well."
Check Out What's On Commanders.com:
- Training camp notebook | Jayden Daniels has sharp first day of practice
- Luke McCaffrey leaning on veteran leadership to maximize potential
- Terry McLaurin | 'He naturally has a good feel of where to position the ball'
- Jonathan Allen | 'He's going to challenge us every day'
- HC Dan Quinn | 'He's got such a prove it mentality to him'
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Quarterback
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Safety
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Tight ends
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Running back
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Linebackers
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Cornerbacks
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Wide receiver
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Defensive line
- Commanders 2024 training camp preview | Offensive line
