The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.
The Washington Commanders’ season will end in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Jan. 4, and they’re about to enter the offseason with a long to-do list.
The Commanders are aspiring to recapture the progress they made in 2024, when they advanced to the NFC Championship in head coach Dan Quinn’s first season with the team. They’ll need to upgrade their personnel to do so, and there will be plenty of resources in the future between their top 10 first-round pick and some of the most expected available cap space in the NFL.
Washington will also need some of their younger players to develop. They have already seen some of that in the second half of the season, and there will be another opportunity in the season finale. Here are three players who could be featured more against the Eagles this weekend.
Newton had one of his best games as a Commander during the team’s Christmas Day game against the Dallas Cowboys, putting up three sacks, five quarterback hits and nine tackles. It was the first multi-sack game of his career, and he was the first player in franchise history to record at least 3.0 sacks in a single game since Preston Smith in Week 16 of 2015.
“I thought he was disruptive, wreaked some havoc in his space to go,” Quinn said.
Newton played in 56 defensive snaps — a career-high — mostly because of Daron Payne being ruled out with a back injury. However, Newton was viewed as one of the best defensive linemen in the 2024 draft class because of his abilities as an interior pass-rusher. Newton’s development has been disrupted at times because of the various injuries he sustained before and during his rookie season, but his performance last week, which received the sixth-best pass-rushing grade among defensive tackles, could be a sign that he’s starting to get more comfortable in the professional game.
Philadelphia’s offensive line, which is still one of the best groups in the league despite dealing with multiple injuries, should be a good test for Newton to close out the year.