Commanders 2nd Round Pick DT Jonny Newton Undergoes Successful Surgery

The Washington Commanders' second-round draft pick undergoes successful surgery on foot and should be ready for the regular season.

Nov 6, 2021; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini defensive lineman Jer'Zhan Newton / Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The Washington Commanders didn't necessarily need help on the inside of their defensive trenches, but when their second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft came around there wasn't a better player still on the board than Illini defensive lineman Jer'Zhan 'Johnny' Newton.

READ MORE: Coach Quinn Comments on Controversial T-Shirt

Throughout his four-year collegiate career at Illinois, Newton compiled 187 total tackles (27.5 TFL), 18 sacks, five passes defended, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries, and during his final season in college Newton was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and a Consensus All American.

His progress into the NFL has now apparently hit a bit of a snag as it was reported that he underwent surgery on a Jones fracture in his left foot on Monday.

Sources: #Commanders 2nd-round pick Johnny Newton underwent successful surgery on his Jones fracture yesterday at HSS in New York City.

The surgery was done by Dr. O’Malley. Washington is optimistic that Newton will make a full recovery before the regular season. pic.twitter.com/8p1Hepx9y2

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 14, 2024

The surgery was deemed successful, however, and the Commanders believe that he will be ready to go prior to the start of the 2024 regular season.

READ MORE: Washington Maximizing Time for OTAs

A Jones fracture is a fracture to the base of the pinky bone in the foot - an area known as a 'watershed' area that has poor blood supply and doesn't heal well. The injury is common in nature and usually heals well with surgery which involves a nail or plate/screws. Even with the healing process usually going well, the player will likely not return before 11 weeks post-surgery to avoid further injury or a refracture - putting Newton's timetable for return somewhere around the first week of August.

---

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

Follow Caleb on Twitter