As the Notre Dame football team works to fine-tune their season, several former Fighting Irish stars are making a strong case for the program’s talent with their performances.
Leading the way is a rookie defensive lineman who had been relatively quiet for the Washington Commanders until Monday night. Facing one of the NFL’s top offenses, he had a breakout performance.
Javontae Jean-Baptiste is proving he can be a difference-maker in the NFL. While his impact has been limited so far, the former Notre Dame standout has been seeing increased playing time recently. During the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded his first career sack.
The sack was a highlight-worthy play. Jean-Baptiste powered through the offensive line, brushed aside a blocker, and brought down quarterback Joe Burrow just as he began to scramble.
Jean-Baptiste gets his first NFL sack, bringing down Burrow on 1st down#RaiseHail pic.twitter.com/4ymxV7WdO6
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) September 24, 2024
Former Notre Dame football star Javontae Jean-Baptiste shines on Monday night
Jean-Baptiste’s first career sack was also his first tackle of the season, despite having played in all three games for the Commanders so far.
If his time at South Bend is any indication, he’s only going to improve as the season progresses. Though he was only with Notre Dame for one season, he finished 2023 strong, posting a career-best performance.
In his lone season with the Fighting Irish, Javontae Jean-Baptiste recorded 49 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and 5 sacks. He also added a pass defended, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery to his stat line.
