Commanders’ Johnny Newton to miss ‘significant time’ after surgery on torn pectoral

The Washington Commanders will not have the services of defensive tackle Johnny Newton for an extended period of time. Newton suffered an upper-body injury during last Friday’s NFL preseason game against the Miami Dolphins at Northwest Stadium in Landover, and later went under the knife to address the issue, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

“Sources: #Commanders DT Johnny Newton underwent surgery for a torn pectoral muscle and is expected to miss significant time. The former Illinois standout has 82 tackles, 7 sacks (5 last year), 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery in 33 career games,” Schultz reported via a social media post on X, formerly Twitter.

Newton, who is about to turn 24 years old on Aug. 31, is entering just his third season in the NFL. The Commanders took him in the second round (36th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Expected to be among the lead performers on Washington’s defensive line in 2026, Newton will have to wait before he can return to action. It remains to be seen exactly how long he will be sidelined, but the hope is that he will be back on the field at some point in the regular season.

Given this unfortunate development, the Commanders might have to take a much more careful approach in their upcoming preseason game against the Detroit Lions this coming Saturday at Ford Field in Detroit.

Although he was only graded 47.5 overall by Pro Football Focus in 2025, he posted a 66.9 pass rush rating to go with nine quarterback hits and 38 combined tackles through 17 games (two starts).

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