Jer'Zhan Newton

Year-2 breakout: 5.0 sacks and 9 QB hits, up from 2.0 sacks as a rookie.

Newton's rookie year (2024, 36th overall from Illinois) gave Washington an immediate interior rusher: 47 combined, 7 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 7 QB hits, plus a forced fumble. The arc into year 2 has done what you want a 2nd-round DT to do — 2.0 sacks → 5.0 sacks, 7 QB hits → 9 QB hits, on track for double-digit by season's end.

The combined tackle total is down (47 → 37), but that's because his role has shifted to more pass-rush snaps and less first-down nose work in Dan Quinn's expanded sub package.

5.0 sacks leads the Commanders' DL room in 2025 — and the team's two best edge rushers each have 5.5.

The Commanders' interior was supposed to be the Daron Payne show — but in 2025, Newton (5.0 sacks) is outproducing Payne (3.0) as the interior rusher. He's a half-sack behind the two edge starters (Martin, Armstrong) for the team lead.

That's a real second-year ascent for a 6-2, 295-pound tackle. Most year-2 DTs are still in the 1-3 sack band; Newton is rushing like a true 3-tech.

4 TFL + 5 sacks + 9 QB hits — production at every level of run/pass disruption in year 2.

Newton's 2025 line is balanced across the disruption spectrum: - 5.0 sacks — finishing the play - 9 QB hits — pressure that the QB had to escape - 4 TFL — backfield runs ended early - 1 forced fumble + 1 PD — splash plays

That's the profile of an interior lineman the offense has to game-plan around, not just a one-trick gap shooter. The fact that he's done it without missing a week of his career (20 active weeks in 2024, 17 in 2025) is the durability bonus.

7.0 career sacks before his second birthday in the NFL — a real 2nd-round contract justifier.

Through 2 NFL seasons Newton's career totals: 84 combined tackles, 11 TFL, 7.0 sacks, 16 QB hits, 2 FF. For comparison, the median 2nd-round DT through their first 2 years typically clears about 3-4 sacks — he's already double that.

The forced fumble in each of his first two years (1 in 2024, 1 in 2025) is a small but real signal: he's getting to the ball, not just to the QB.

Solo tackle rate dropped, but disruption rate spiked: 22 → 20 solo, sacks more than doubled.

Counting only solo tackles, Newton's two years look almost identical: 22 solo in 2024, 20 solo in 2025. But the splash plays look radically different:

- Sacks: 2 → 5 (+150%) - QB Hits: 7 → 9 (+29%) - TFL: 7 → 4 (-43%)

The defense is using him further upfield. Fewer plays where he holds the line of scrimmage; more plays where he's collapsing the pocket. That's a deliberate role shift, not a stat-fluke year — and it explains why the team didn't add another interior pass-rusher in free agency.