The Commanders can turn a negative into a major positive that will have long-term impact as well on a young player
A young player gets a chance to prove himself with a big opportunity.
The Washington Commanders are in Madrid, Spain, and looking to bounce back from a five-game losing streak against the Miami Dolphins.
They don’t have everyone, however, as defensive tackle Daron Payne is serving his one-game suspension for punching Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown last week. A struggling defense will be without its best player. What could possibly go wrong?
Someone has to fill in for Payne, though, and head coach Dan Quinn already said what his plan is, which could actually be a major blessing in disguise.
Johnny Newton to start with Daron Payne out
Payne has been one of the more productive players on defense, even amid their struggles, and he leaves big shoes to be filled. Quinn talked about how much of a loss it is for the defense, and Johnny Newton will be the starter on Sunday with Payne out.
“Yeah, we’ll miss Daron [Payne] for sure inside,” Quinn said. “His presence, the physicality. Johnny Newton and Javon Kinlaw will be the two who will feature the most inside. And then Eddie Goldman
and Sheldon Day would be there behind them. But we’re pleased with the development that
Johnny’s taking, especially on the pass rush side. He has had some injuries coming into last year and
I felt like it took him this season, this preseason, to hit his stride and hit the next spot. And I feel like he’s doing that. So, we’ll lean in more on him for sure here.”
Newton hasn’t played a ton of snaps this season, with 220 through the first 10 games. That’s an average of 22 snaps per game, and his total is 92nd in the league. To give context, the Commanders played 70 defensive snaps against the Lions, and they need to see more of what Newton brings.
We haven’t heard Newton’s name much this season outside of the tipped ball that Mike Sainristil intercepted against the Los Angeles Chargers, but he’s quietly put up 13 pressures, nine hurries, and two sacks. They need all the production they can get for a pass-rushing unit that has struggled since they lost Dorance Armstrong for the season. As a young piece of the roster, Newton’s development is also a significant factor in the defense’s rebuild this offseason.
Johnny Newton needs to show he can be a starter
We don’t know what the offseason will look like, but we can expect a ton of changes to the coaching staff and roster after Quinn took over as the defensive coordinator this week. A lot of young players need to show that they can be a piece you build around, and Newton has his golden opportunity against the Dolphins as the starter.
The next few weeks should be an evaluation process for general manager Adam Peters, especially if the Commanders are officially eliminated from the playoffs following a couple more losses.
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