Johnny Newton's college DL coach, Terrance Jamison, gives G&D a breakdown of the newest Commanders DT
As you heard from the phone call between Commanders brass and Johnny Newton that G&D played at the top of their interview with Illinois DL Coach Terrance Johnson, Adam Peters couldn’t believe Newton was still available when Washington picked at No. 36.
Grant Paulsen admitted that Newton wasn’t on many radars because defensive tackle was deep on the Commanders roster, but his defensive line coach at Illinois, Terrance Jamison, was with Peters.
“It’s very unpredictable. We expected him to go somewhere in the first round, but we’ve been around and understand that things change and you can’t predict what will happen,” Jamison told Grant & Danny. “His family was thrilled and it was a special moment, and everything happens for a reason. The Commanders did a tremendous job with that draft class, and this is a pretty cool time in my career to get to celebrate a young man like Johnny and his accomplishments. I’m a strong believer that if you have a great quarterback and a great defensive line, you’ll win Super Bowls. He’s blessed to be with a great organization, and I’m sure the fan base is excited about him. It’s been a joy to have coached him.”
Jamison obviously liked what he saw from Jayden Daniels, so check and check, but what the Commanders are getting isn’t just a future replacement for Daron Payne or Jonathan Allen – they’re getting a player who can have an impact right away.
“He’s a tremendous player but he’s also a great, mature young man who loves football. He had raw talent when he got here and a tremendous skill set, and he’s able to transition from power to speed,” Jamison said of Newton. “He can do all the things necessary to have success everywhere on the line.
We played him everywhere on the line, so he has done all those jobs across the front and produced, and they’ll have a guy that they can plug and play in any situation.”
And, like with some greats like Aaron Donald, who Jamison said Newton ‘loves and watched a lot of film on,’ what Newton can do rushing the passer can help the Commanders’ EDGE group, too.
“He has the skills to rush the passer on early down, and when you can get after the QB on early downs, it doubles your opportunity for production,” Jamison said. “The ability to transition from run fundamentals to pass rushing at the college level is hard, but he has great fundamentals and body control to transition his rush, and the speed, quickness, and power to let him get to the quarterback on early downs. “
He showed it at Illinois, but now, it’s about doing it at the next level.
“Now it’s about honing the talent into the scheme, but he’s highly intelligent and very coachable, easy to shape and mold. But he’ll be a guy who will make an immediate impact because he works at it,” Jamison said. “He’s a pro who lives his routines and is consistent and wants to stack good days. He’s eager to learn, and he’s gonna be able to connect with coach Quinn and his staff, build that relationship, and get a feel for the scheme and what’s being asked of him. From there, he’ll skyrocket as the reps come.”
He’s already got one good relationship in the facility, with former Illini turned second-year Commanders DB Quan Martin.
“It was exciting to watch him – it’s special to watch any Illini alum in the NFL,” Jamison said of Martin. “He and Johnny are close, so it’s cool to see them on the same team. Really excited for him and what he’ll do moving forward.”
And as for those worried that Newton apparently played though an injury this year?
“I met his high school coach during the draft, and they told me how as a running back as a sophomore, he would limp after making cuts – he played that year on a fractured leg!” Jamison said. “This season we didn’t know until after the season he needed a procedure on his foot, because he was playing like everything was normal and his effort never changed. Any challenge he faced, he’d work at – he loves to win, but he hates to lose. He’s the ultimate competitor.”
