The Washington Commanders have heavily invested in their interior defensive line, with their most significant investment being the $90 million contract given to defensive tackle Daron Payne in March 2023.
However, the 2023 season didn’t deliver the expected results for Payne, much like the overall performance of the Commanders, who finished with a 4-13 record. Pro Football Focus’s Bradley Locker identified Payne as one of the NFL players who could have a rebound season in 2024.
“Payne has established himself as one of the more solid interior defenders across the NFL, but his past season wasn’t his finest,” Locker wrote. “He tallied 14 fewer pressures despite having 32 additional opportunities to rush the passer.”
After a standout 2022 season where Payne made his first Pro Bowl, his numbers significantly dropped in 2023, including 7.5 fewer sacks and 9 fewer quarterback hits.
Payne Has Dominated on Every Level
Locker’s prediction that Payne will bounce back in 2024 seems reasonable, given Payne’s history of excellence.
Payne was a five-star recruit from Shades Valley High School in Birmingham, Alabama, and won two College Football Playoff national championships in three seasons at Alabama. In 2017, he was the defensive MVP in both the semifinal win over Clemson and the national championship game against Georgia, even catching a touchdown pass in the Clemson game.
The Commanders drafted Payne, 6-foot-2 and 311 pounds, in the first round (No. 13 overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft, making it two consecutive years they selected an Alabama defensive tackle in the first round, following Jonathan Allen in 2017.
Payne has been remarkably durable, missing only one game due to injury in his six seasons, and starting every game in five of those six seasons, including every game for four consecutive seasons heading into 2024.
After Washington exercised its fifth-year option on Payne, he responded with his first Pro Bowl season in 2022, achieving career highs of 63 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 20 QB hits, 18 tackles for loss, and 5 pass deflections.
In return, the Commanders rewarded him handsomely, and by the end of his current contract in 2026, he will have earned $112.9 million in career earnings.
Glimmer of Hope for Commanders in 2024
The Commanders enter the 2024 season with renewed hope, largely due to drafting quarterback Jayden Daniels at No. 2 overall and hiring new head coach Dan Quinn, known for his winning track record.
Therefore, the measure of Payne’s bounce-back in 2024 might be better reflected in team success rather than individual statistics.
“With Washington drafting Illinois’ Jer’Zhan Newton in the second round, new head coach Dan Quinn could turn to more of a rotation along the Commanders’ defensive line, which might reduce Payne’s pressure numbers even further,” Locker said. “Then again, as Payne enters the second year of his $90 million extension, he’s unlikely to go anywhere. A more motivated Payne — who also happens to clean up his tackling — could return to being an amazing pass rusher in 2024.”
