Commanders News: Sam Howell, Sale lawsuit, K.J. Henry and Doug Quon

K.J. Henry looking to make Commanders mark

There is a growing belief that the Washington Commanders might have struck gold with edge rusher K.J. Henry. Those in power traded up to land the former Clemson standout in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, which provides some extra insurance in the event Chase Young encounters more injury difficulties next season.

Henry also has the build to potentially emerge as a key pass-rushing presence at outside linebacker should his transition go smoothly. It was a promising start for the player at Washington's rookie minicamp, something he stated via the team's website that stemmed from stripping everything back and learning what it takes to succeed at the next level.

"I'm just trying to erase everything and be a sponge. I feel like I'm prepared. And I think it showed today, but at the same time, I'm out here with the mindset of trying to soak everything up. There's some techniques that I do here now that I used to do in college that I'm having to switch."

- K.J. Henry via Commanders.com

This mindset of accumulating as much information as possible is only going to help Henry. Especially given how much he could learn from the likes of Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Montez Sweat, Young, and Efe Obada across Washington's formidable defensive front.

The Commanders saw something in Henry. Although there isn't a great deal of pressure for the edge presence to become an immediate contributor, don't be surprised if the pass-rusher surprises a few right out of the gate.