The Washington Commanders enjoyed a phenomenal turnaround to their defense during the 2024 season, which quickly asserted itself as one of the best in the NFL.
A big reason for that improvement the play on the defensive line. But with the loss of Johnathan Allen in free agency, returning veterans will have to step up in order to yield a similar performance.
Pro-Bowl tackle Daron Payne is growing as a leader on that front. He is taking the mission to heart in his all-out effort during OTA workouts this offseason ... to the point where his coaches have to tell him to ease up a bit.
Defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. shared a funny story about how Payne was going so hard in a workout that head coach Dan Quinn got mad at the coach, thinking he was putting his guys through more than he should've been.
"The guy that to me, he just looks really good, he looks intentful: Daron Payne," Whitt Jr. said to the media this week.
"Man, like, every day this dude is, I'm having to tell him, 'Hey, man, let's calm down.' Like, I got in trouble with the head coach yesterday because I challenged the d-line and he went after it. I said, 'Q, that was my fault. I told him to do it and he did exactly what I told him to do.'"
Without Allen by his side this season, Payne understands that he won't just attract more attention on the line, but he'll be turned to as a veteran leader on the defense. So far, the coaching staff is recognizing Payne's commitment to the new role.
"I've been really pleased [from] the walkthroughs to everything that we've asked him to do. And he's a leader, he doesn't talk much at all, but he is leading by example, and this year, you can really see him taking that leadership role and taking it to the next step."
Payne enters his eighth year in the league as one of the most durable and productive interior D-linemen in the game. He has not missed a game in the last four seasons and has racked up an impressive 24 sacks during that span.
With this positive report from the practice field, we expect Payne to be hunting for a lot more this season and anchor the Commanders' promising defense.
