Johnny Newton let out a low whistle when asked by Fred Smoot on the newest episode of "Get Loud" about how it felt to have his first full NFL offseason.
"It might have been too good," Newton said with a laugh.
Newton's last offseason was busier than normal, even by rookie standards. While much of his time was spent learning the defense and getting acclimated to NFL practices, he also had to rehab multiple foot injuries that forced him to miss basically all of OTAs, minicamp and training camp. This year, he's had some free time to enjoy with his family while getting a breather from his rookie campaign.
But it hasn't all been relaxation for Newton. He's also been preparing for his second season, and he's looking forward to having a bigger role up front.
"I'm ready for it all this season," Newton said. "I got the rookie jitters out of me, so I'm ready to go."
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders going through the first day of mandatory minicamp.
While Newton only missed one game during the season, the time he missed during the offseason prevented him from getting consistent production until later in the year. It required him to learn while being thrown into the action of an NFL game, which can be difficult for a rookie who didn't go through the ramp-up process of OTAs, minicamp and training camp.
As someone who spent college in the Big Ten, Newton was used to the speed, but it took time for him to adjust to the intensity and speed of offenses. Newton said he spent much of his rookie season learning from his veteran teammates on how to smooth out the process.
"I'm still doing it," Newton said. "It's Year Two for me, but I'm still a rookie in the locker room. So, I'm still cherry picking. [Daron] Payne, [Javon] Kinlaw, Sheldon Day, those guys are great vets for me."
Now that Newton doesn't have to spend time rehabbing, he's able to build on the success he had later in the season. He started the final 11 games and recorded 33 tackles with two sacks and a fumble recovery.
Head coach Dan Quinn can already see a difference in the defensive tackle.
"Probably the strength I would say...because he wasn't probably able to do all the typical strength movements and that he had due to the foot injuries for, but I feel like his leg strength and that explosiveness, that's probably what I see the most, the twitch," Quinn said. "He's always been a quick person, but now with all the power that goes with it. I do see an uptick in that."
The Commanders will need Newton to step up, too, because the defensive line position has gone through significant changes in the past few months. Jonathan Allen was released, and the team brought in bigger players like Kinlaw, Deatrich Wise and Jacob Martin to help shore up the defenses' issues against the run. Last year, the Commanders were surprised that Newton, who was viewed as a first-round pick, was available when they were on the clock in the second round. They took him with the belief that he could be an instant contributor and that his abilities as an interior pass-rusher would elevate their front.
It might have taken a little longer than they wanted, but the Commanders are going to give Newton that chance. And he's ready for it.
"I can't complain about having a lot of food on my table when I wanted to eat," Newton said.
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