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Commanders Receive Tough Injury News on Rising Star Defender
0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Washington Commanders were dealt some unfortunate news on Thursday when head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that rising star defensive tackle Jer'Zhan Newton will miss a "significant" amount of time as he recovers from a torn pectoral muscle.
The injury occurred early in the second quarter of the Commanders' preseason opener against the Dolphins last Friday, with Newton reportedly undergoing surgery on Wednesday. The timing couldn't be worse, with the regular season just a few weeks away and Newton expected to play a major role on defense. Torn pecs typically take at least three to four months to heal, if not longer, putting his potential return deep into the regular season. A firm timeline has yet to be announced.
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Newton was the Commanders' second-round pick (No. 36 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Illinois, where he earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and consensus All-American honors as a senior. He quickly lived up to the hype as a rookie, racking up 44 combined tackles — including six for loss — seven quarterback hits, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery across 11 starts.
Last season, he took another step forward, finishing with 38 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, nine QB hits, five sacks, and one forced fumble, despite playing fewer defensive snaps (38%, compared to 51% in 2024).
With veteran Tim Settle still recovering from a Lisfranc injury suffered late last year, Newton was expected to take a big leap in 2026 and establish himself as one of the top defenders on Washington's line, alongside Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw. Now, it looks like he could miss most, if not all, of the 2026 season — putting even more pressure on Settle, whom the Commanders signed to a three-year, $24 million deal in March, to return to full strength.
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