If the Washington Commanders truly want to find out what they have in 3rd year defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, they might want to give him a chance to show them.
According to Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Bradley Locker, Newton might not ever get that chance in Washington after he was placed on PFF’s list of the NFL’s top trade candidates before training camp starts in July.
“The Commanders relentlessly fortified their ailing defense this offseason, including along the defensive line,” Locker wrote. “However, that negatively affects someone like Newton. The 36th overall pick in 2024 hasn’t blossomed as Washington would’ve hoped, notching a career 50.0 overall PFF grade with a 38.6 PFF run-defense grade. Yet what has been encouraging is Newton’s pass-rushing, as his 9.3% pass-rush win rate placed in the 63rd percentile last year.”
Newton Has Spent Career Buried on Depth Chart
Newton, who was projected as a 1st-round pick, had the unfortunate luck of entering the NFL draft in the most offense-crazy year in league history. In 2024, an NFL-record 14 consecutive offensive picks kicked off the draft before a defensive player was taken.
He stepped into a situation in Washington as a rookie in which he was automatically taking a back seat to a pair of Pro Bowl defensive tackles in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
After Allen was released following the 2024 season and it seemed like Newton was about to make the move into a starting role, the Commanders signed defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a 3-year, $45 milllion free-agent contract.
Again, Newton had to take a backseat. Only this time it was to an inarguably ineffective player in Kinlaw, who has been widely labeled the NFL’s worst free-agent signing from the 2025 cycle.
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton believes Kinlaw might not even have a place on Washington’s 53-man roster in 2026, putting him on his list of the NFL’s best players who could be cut before the regular season.
Commanders Made $24M Move in Free Agency
The Commanders have spent the 2026 offseason revamping their defensive front 7, and it’s a group fans probably won’t recognize right off the bat.
That might include the interior defensive line once again, after the Commanders signed defensive tackle Tim Settle away from the Houston Texans on a 3-year, $24 million free-agent contract. Which only makes things harder for Newton, who might not be the only defensive tackle on the trade block.
Payne could very well get moved this offseason, headed into the final season of the 4-year, $90 million contract extension he signed before the 2023 season.
“Washington adds another piece to its defensive interior (with Settle), someone the Commanders believe can be a penetrator — an ability they definitely need more of,” ESPN’s John Keim wrote. “Their top three tackles combined for just eight sacks and 20 quarterback hits in 2025. But Settle will have to produce more than the one sack and quarterback hit he recorded over 12 games last season. The Commanders would gladly take his 2024 numbers: 10 QB hits and five sacks. He also provides insurance if the team opts to trade tackle Daron Payne, who is in the final year of his contract.”
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