Commanders' Daron Payne Takes On New Role Amid Major Change
Commanders' Daron Payne Takes On New Role Amid Major Change originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Washington Commanders gave emerged as a title contender after some fantastic play from quarterback Jayden Daniels in his rookie season. But the defensive side of the ball won't be the same.
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Back at the beginning of March, the team decided to release their star defensive lineman, Jonathan Allen, after they were unable to find a trade partner for him. As a result, someone will have to step up in his place.
The prime candidate to do that is veteran defensive tackle Daron Payne. And in a recent article by ESPN's John Keim, he thinks that he can do just that.
"Payne's contract was an issue in 2022, but he recorded a career-high 11.5 sacks and earned a four-year extension worth up to $90 million," Keim wrote. "Multiple people in the organization singled him out during OTA work, also saying he appears more relaxed and a little more outgoing."
Allen has been one of the leaders of the Commanders' defense for just under a decade, so losing him is not going to be an easy thing to recover from. But Payne is looking to make that transition as smooth as possible.
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The 28-year-old defensive tackle has finished with four sacks each of the last two seasons, but that does not mean that he cannot get to the quarterback. Just a few seasons ago in 2022, Payne had 11.5 sacks, which placed him 12th in the entire NFL at the time.
The Commanders have taken a lot of pride in their defense over the last several seasons, and Payne will be looking to make sure that does not change in 2025.
Related: Insider Reveals Commanders Plans For Upgrade In Key Area
Related: Commanders' Draft Steal Already 'Trending in Right Direction'
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 27, 2025, where it first appeared.
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