The Washington Commanders are going to miss Daron Payne, head coach Dan Quinn said prior to the team's first practice in Madrid, Spain, following the defensive tackle's one-game suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct during the game against the Detroit Lions.
At the same time, it's an opportunity for Washington's depth and younger players to step up, and Quinn is eager to see how they handle the new responsibility.
Quinn confirmed that 2024 second-round pick Johnny Newton will start alongside veteran Javon Kinlaw for the Commanders' Week 11 game against the Miami Dolphins with Eddie Goldman and Sheldon Day serving as their backups. Newton has been a constant for the Commanders' rotation at defensive line all season, but now he will get the chance to show what he can do as one of the pivotal players up front.
It's an opportunity Newton has been waiting for since the offseason.
"I'm ready for it all this season," Newton said in June. "I got the rookie jitters out of me, so I'm ready to go."
Newton, who missed part of his rookie season with a foot injury, has recorded 22 tackles and two sacks this season, the latter equaling the total he had in 2024. While it's not the first time in Newton's NFL career that he started an NFL game -- he stepped in for Jonathan Allen when he went down with an injury in Week 5 -- it is the first time he has stepped into the role in 2025, as Payne and Kinlaw were tapped as the starting defensive linemen during training camp.
Quinn has been impressed with how Newton has developed since his rookie season, and the stats show how much he has grown. Per Pro Football Focus, his tackle grade is up 13 points (76.4) compared to the 63.2 he posted as a rookie. He is five pressures away from equaling the 18 he had last season, and his pass rush grade ranks fifth among other defensive tackles in his draft class.
"We're pleased with the development that Johnny is taking, especially on the pass rush side," Quinn said.
Quinn said that Newton's injuries last season forced him to take more time to get up to speed in the NFL. Now that he's "hitting his stride," the Commanders are going to lean on him more, even when Payne comes back from his suspension.
And Newton has been ready for that.
"I can't complain about having a lot of food on my table when I wanted to eat," Newton said.
Kinlaw, Newton's running mate this season, has been one of the Commanders' better success stories. He has 20 tackles this season with three for a loss. Their backups, Goldman and Day, have a combined 27 tackles between them.
