Jer’Zhan Newton Designated to Return from Injured Reserve

The Washington Commanders have announced that defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton is designated to return from injured reserve. He has been sidelined since mid-August due to a pectoral injury.

This designation opens a 21-day window for Newton to practice with the team before he must be added to the active roster. Typically, pectoral injuries have a recovery timeline of three to four months, although some players have returned sooner in recent years.

Newton, 24, was a consensus All-American in 2023 and received first-team All-Big Ten honors in both 2022 and 2023 while at Illinois. He was selected by the Commanders as the 36th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft and signed a four-year rookie contract worth nearly $9.76 million, including a signing bonus of approximately $3.92 million. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2028.