Johnny Newton is back on the field.
The rookie defensive tackle drafted 36th overall by the Commanders met with the media Tuesday, expressing he is happy to be active again, following his foot surgery this Spring.
“They’ve been giving me great support—everybody in the locker room, everybody in the building, really. So, just to get out there and compete, it felt really good to get off.”
Choosing to have the surgery right away, Newton said he really didn’t have a long-term goal. Rather, he just tried to do the right recovery things day by day.
Newton was surprised when the X-rays revealed the problem, seeing he insists he never had discomfort in that foot. Having been through this already with one foot, he felt like he knew what to expect in the rehab, so he just got to it.
“Great training staff in there, great coaching staff. Everybody always came to check on me, definitely right after I had surgery. So it was comfortable for me and I knew what my goal was and what I had to do to get back, so I just did exactly that.”
Being drafted to a team that starts Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne at your position might bother many rookies, but not Newton.
“I’ve been watching them for years now. Back when they were in college at Alabama I used to watch them, but actually getting to know them, great people outside of the football field. They’re honestly like big brothers. Whenever I mess up with something, they’ll tell me. Just the smallest things on the field, they always help me out, always encouraging me.”
When asked how long it would take the former Illinois tackle to regain his quickness, Newton responded, “Rome wasn’t built overnight, so I’m not expecting to get back to 100 percent on the first day of practice. I’m just getting my feet. Honestly, this is my first NFL practice, getting up to speed, and hopefully, eventually, for sure soon, I’ll be back to 100 percent and back to my old self.”
Newton didn’t like missing minicamp but is thankful for the support he received. He expressed it was hard on him to miss, but “everybody in the building was always encouraging me.
“Jon’s my locker mate, so always talking to Jon, he’s like, ‘Bro, you’re going to be alright.’ He is like, ‘I can’t wait for you to get on the field.’ And just hearing that from Jon was great encouragement to me because I look up to Jon. He is like a big brother to me.. and, DQ (Dan Quinn), AP (Adam Peters) always came to check up on me, and that meant the most to me. So, I knew what I had to do, and that always gave me an extra boost.”
