Johnny Newton emerging as potential Commanders' cornerstone without Jonathan Allen

Washington Commanders' rookie defensive tackle Johnny Newton had his first true breakout game after slowly developing throughout the campaign. He did this against a truly solid Chicago Bears interior offensive line duo in Teven Jenkins and Matt Pryor.

Newton finished the game with seven total pressures, one sack, and two tackles. He also earned a Pro Football Focus grade of 89.2, the best of any defensive player in Week 8.

Many draft gurus saw Newton as one of the best defenders in the 2024 class. Some even projected he could be a top-10 pick when push came to shove. Adam Peters snagged him at No. 36 overall after injury concerns resulted in a dramatic slide. He looks like a huge steal and a possible cornerstone piece for the defense.

Johnny Newton is responding to increased Commanders' demands

Newton was an elite pass rusher at Illinois. He showed this against the Bears. Those seven total pressures came on only 18 pass rush snaps. That's almost a 40 percent success rate, which was extremely encouraging.

Bears' quarterback Caleb Williams was running around attempting to evade pressure throughout the contest, and Newton was a huge reason for this. On top of the seven pressures, the lineman had three quarterback hits and three hurries.

The second-round pick didn't come home with a sack on every pressure, but some people don't realize how valuable causing havoc without the stats can be. It throws any play into disarray, leading to ill-advised throws or a complete breakdown in the original design.

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On one specific play, Newton bull-rushed the Bears' center which forced Williams to scramble to left. He then threw the block off of him and chased the No. 1 pick down, forcing him to throw an incompletion.

The ability to win quickly is one of the best traits for a pass rusher in the NFL. Even with the bull rush, there were several plays where Newton had his way with Chicago's protection. He does all of this extremely quickly.

Winning quickly is also important on running downs. On an inside run from running back D'Andre Swift, Newton managed to blow up the play through brute force despite being double-teamed. That's exactly what the Commanders need from the rookie without Jonathan Allen in the lineup.

Newton was able to figure out what was happening and what he needed to do to win on the rep quickly. This sort of processing separates the good players from the also-rans. Much more is needed, but this is a solid foundation from which to build.

What does Johnny Newton's breakout mean for Commanders' defense?

We have seen the Commanders' defense get better every week. This performance against the Bears seems like the best of the campaign so far.

There was constant pressure on the quarterback and they held a good offense to only 15 points. On top of that, Chicago did not score throughout the first three quarters, where Williams only managed to throw 36 passing yards.

If Newton can continue the dominance he displayed in the pass rush against the Bears, easier match-ups will open up for other defenders. More pressure means an easier time for the secondary, which seems to be the biggest issue currently.

With Allen out for the year, Newton will need to be the starter with Daron Payne. Phidarian Mathis will likely rotate throughout the year after showing signs of life under the new regime.

Newton has now proven that he can hold his own and be impactful when prominent involvement arrives. His Week 8 breakout could even make the Commanders comfortable enough to trade or cut Allen in the offseason if the same trend continues.

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