The Washington Commanders hope to get their season off to a good start on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The team is dealing with the injury of second-round draft pick Johnny Newton, who is not expected to play against the Bucs as he recovers from a foot injury that required surgery in May.

But that being said, Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. wants everyone on defense to play in the season opener.

“It’s going to be hot down there, so we’re going to try to use a lot of guys and keep guys fresh in the fourth quarter,” Whitt said. “And so the game will dictate the true rotation. But as much as possible, I’d like to have one of those, you know, (DT) Jon (Allen) and (DT Daron) Payne, out at some point. I don’t want to have either of them on the bench at the same time, but that could happen, you know? And then when (DT Jer’Zhan) “Johnny” (Netwon) comes back, he’ll come back and be ready to go. He’s a really good player.”

READ MORE: Commanders coach comments on Jayden Daniels debut

The Commanders are probably healthier than they’ve been all season, so they should take advantage of the pool of players while they have them, and it’ll give everyone a chance to completely shake off the rust that’s built up over the offseason.

Kickoff for the Commanders and Buccaneers is scheduled for 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday.

READ MORE: Commanders prepare for tough test against Buccaneers in Week 1

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