Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders
The Washington Commanders’ rookie defensive tackle dropped quarterback Caleb Williams for an obvious sack in Sunday’s Hail Mary win over the Chicago Bears. Only, the play initially counted as a tackle for loss. Cool, but the second-round pick wanted that first career sack. “I couldn’t even think of an explanation for it,” he said.
News of the statistical fix came three days later.
“Finally!” the smiling Newton exclaimed following Wednesday’s practice.
Credited with a sack or not, Newton’s performance “jumped out” to head coach Dan Quinn and anyone else watching. Now starting after Jonathan Allen’s season-ending pectoral injury, Newton had three solo tackles, three quarterback hits, a fumble recovery — and that coveted sack.
“I felt like my old self, how I played in college,” said the 2023 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. “Take it, bottle it and just remember (the feeling).”
Newton might become Payne’s permanent tag-team partner if Allen becomes a salary-cap casualty this offseason and his play continues ramping up. Quinn found strength in Newton’s three-technique performance as the lineman created pressure “from the inside over the guard and over the center.”
The 6-2 Commanders are riding high heading into Sunday’s rematch at the Giants. Newton’s debut came in Washington’s 21-18 Week 2 win over New York. He played 12 snaps in that victory. That number jumped to 35 versus the Bears for a season-high 56 percent. His production increased as well.
“I just had a great game, as everyone saw,” the confident Newton said Wednesday. Still, he acknowledged that his first sack was “a big stress reliever. And once you get that away, you just start rolling.”
Newton knows one strong game could be a blip. That’s why his next step is seeking consistency. Nothing wrong with that goal.
“That’s how the greats go. Being consistently good is how you become great,” Newton said. “I want to be a great player.”
General Manager Adam Peters’s first class has been a big hit, with second-round picks Johnny Newton and Mike Sainristil bolstering the defense.
Quinn said Monday of Newton’s performance. “[I]t was good to see the pressure that he was able to generate from the inside, both over the guard and over the center. … He’s the one that really jumped out to me that it was really cool to see.”
Attempts to rebuild the franchise in recent years failed — five of the team’s past eight first-round draft selections have been traded or released — putting a greater onus on Peters and Quinn to nail April’s draft.
Washington’s rookie class shares a playing style and approach that Peters and Quinn sought from the start. They wanted...
