Washington

Commanders

Newton needed surgery for a Jones fracture after needing surgery on his opposite foot earlier this year. Once projected as a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Newton fell to the No. 36 pick with teams exercising some concerns on his feet. He was scooped up by Washington, who hope to add him to a healthy defensive line. Schultz reports the Commanders are optimistic that Newton will make a full recovery before the regular season.

It was a quick stay in Washington for Fromm, who hasn’t seen regular season action since 2021 with the Giants. The late-round 2020 draft pick will likely continue bouncing around as a QB3 option in the NFL.

The No. 36 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft underwent surgery to repair a partial Jones fracture in his foot earlier this year and now needs the same surgery on the opposite foot. The surgery is scheduled for next week and head coach Dan Quinn declined to speculate on his return timeline following the procedure. The standard recovery time for a Jones fracture with surgical intervention is three to four months, which should place the second-round rookie in line to return to football activities prior to the start of the 2024 season, assuming a clean rehabilitation.

Newton underwent surgery in January for the Jones fracture, an injury that he said he sustained during the middle part of the season. While the surgery kept him from working out at the NFL Scouting Combine and at Illinois’ pro day, it didn’t stop the Commanders from taking him with the No. 36 pick when he slipped outside of the first round. Now considered one of the potential steals of the 2024 NFL Draft, Newton will have a chance to bolster a defensive line anchored by Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. His injury is not considered to be a major issue at this time, which suggests he should be ready to play come training camp.

The team has not yet committed to Daniels — the second overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft — as their Week 1 starter, though it would be a massive upset if Marcus Mariota got the opening day call for Washington. Keim expects Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury to lean heavily on the rushing attack, which will be led by Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson. Ekeler is most likely to be the primary pass-catching back while Robinson functions as the team’s early-down back. A lack of passing volume could be an issue for Washington’s pass catchers. Terry McLaurin could still see a solid target share, however, as offenses that use lots of run-pass option plays tend to target their WR1 heavily.

Anusiem (6’1/200) is a six-year prospect who transferred to Colorado State ahead of the 2022 season; Anusiem has two years of starting experience under his belt. He played almost entirely on the outside and allowed just 228 yards and one touchdown per PFF in 2022. Unfortunately, he took a step back in 2023, allowing 31-330-4 on 48 targets while breaking up just two passes. He has the size to match up with receivers on the pro level and blew scouts away with solid athletic testing at his pro day after being snubbed by the NFL Scouting Combine. Anusiem is a good size/speed prospect who has ample experience on special teams, which should give him a path to making a roster if he performs well in camp.

After previous reports that Hartman (6'1/211) was signing with the Bears, the six-year prospect is now set to join the Commanders, who gave him a guaranteed base salary of $225K — a notable amount for a UDFA. After spending five seasons at Wake Forest in which he amassed 12,967-110-41, Hartman closed out his career in 2023 at Notre Dame, throwing for 2689-24-8 while leading the team to a 9-3 record. A willing deep ball thrower who is capable of extending plays from the pocket, but turnovers have also been a concern. His 2.5 percent interception rate is among the highest for recent quarterback prospects, and he completed less than 60 percent of his passes for his career. Hartman has the experience and talent to earn a legitimate look from teams, but he’ll need to fight to earn a QB2 role early in his career. He finds himself in a QB2 competition with veteran Marcus Mariota, as Jayden Daniels will likely earn the starting job in camp.

Rosemy-Jacksaint (6’1/195) was a four-year player at Georgia whose best season came in 2023 when he totaled 34-535-4. Often overshadowed by highly skilled receivers and tight ends, Rosemy-Jacksaint found little opportunity to make an impact with the Bulldogs. He opted not to run at the NFL Scouting Combine, only to run a 4.81 at Georgia’s Pro Day, and post a RAS of 1.68. Athleticism isn’t everything for a receiver, but Rosemy-Jacksaint certainly comes up on the short end relative to his peers. He’ll need to battle for a spot on a 53-man roster in camp.

Wiley (5’10/210) is a dual-threat back who punched in 28 scores on 459 career touches. He totaled just 2,862 yards from scrimmage over five college seasons and topped out at 771 rushing yards in 2022. He may be better suited as a third-down and/or pass-catching back as a pro. He handled 100-plus rush attempts just once in his career while averaging 32.3 receptions per season from 2021-2023. Wiley forced a missed tackle on 25.9 percent of his total touches, proving to be a problem for opposing defenders with the ball in his hand. His 4.51 40-time and 7.19 RAS are both adequate for a player of his size, but he lacks burst and top-end speed. He’s unlikely to make a roster out of camp but could benefit from a team getting some more looks at him on the practice squad.

Owens (6’2/216) brings plenty of size to the safety position and possesses good speed and athleticism – although he didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine or his pro day. Owens has the look of an NFL safety but is short on playing experience. Per Pro Football Focus, Owens has logged just 961 snaps on defense during his five college seasons and missed a high rate of tackles (17.6 percent) during his final season at Texas Tech. He has plenty to work with as far as tools are concerned, but he’ll need to be coached up and make the most of valuable reps in camp if he hopes to secure a spot on a 53-man roster.