He was anything but the $45 million man in 2025, but Javon Kinlaw is enjoying quite the resurgence for the Washington Commanders this year. He's emerging as the unlikely linchpin for an increasingly powerful Washington run defense set to be tested by the Indianapolis Colts and Jonathan Taylor in London in Week 4.
Taylor must be the focus for Kinlaw and his teammates at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Commanders don't want to be on the receiving end of more prolific international heroics from the former NFL rushing champion.
The All-Pro stomped all over the Atlanta Falcons for a gaudy 244 rushing yards in Berlin last season. Taylor will find it tough to repeat when the Commanders are suddenly so formidable on the ground.
They are formidable because Kinlaw and his fellow defensive linemen are putting blockers on skates and winning against double teams. More of those wins are key to keeping Taylor under wraps.
The Commanders' run front is working because Kinlaw isn't the only lineman clogging running lanes and moving the pile. So is a $90 million starter proving more valuable on the field than as a trade chip.
Kinlaw and Daron Payne are playing like classic 3-4 defensive ends. Big bodies tasked with filling two gaps, occupying multiple blockers, and keeping linebackers clean so they can get downhill and swarm on ball carriers.
It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it.
Usually the nose tackle is the underrated anchor of a 3-4 front, and returning veteran Tim Settle Jr. has been outstanding recently, but Kinlaw is no mere second fiddle.
Instead, he's posted four run stuffs and two tackles for loss across three games. The individual statistics are impressive, but not as much as seeing Kinlaw finally use his 6-foot-5, 319-pound frame and sneaky athleticism to dominate along the trenches.
Kinlaw's unleashing direct and brute force to disrupt running plays and clear pursuit lanes for rookie linebacker Sonny Styles to continue toward stardom.
That's hat-on-hat, straight-ahead defensive football, but Kinlaw's also sliding across the line and slanting through gaps.
Beefy linemen with this range of movement let defensive coordinator Daronte Jones stay aggressive against the run. He can call more run blitzes and line stunts.
The Commanders will need to maintain this attack-minded approach to stop Taylor.
Taylor's not running with quite the same swagger this season. He's yet to break the 100-yard barrier, and his numbers have been declining, dropping to 68 rushing yards against the Houston Texans in Week 3.
Those aren't the ideal stats for a back about to face this fired-up Commanders' run defense.
A unit that held Dallas Cowboys workhorse Jaronte Williams to just 30 yards on 12 carries in Week 2. The same run front put up a wall that Seattle Seahawks runners — rookie Jadarian Price and veteran Emanuel Wilson — couldn't overcome for more than 29 yards last week.
Recent trends favor the Commanders keeping Taylor under wraps. It'll happen if Kinlaw continues playing like the line-collapsing force the Commanders thought they were paying for in 2025.
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