Commanders DT Daron Payne Suffers Significant Foot Injury, Likely Headed to IR
Washington's longest-tenured position player was hurt in Friday's practice and has been ruled out against the Eagles, and his season could be in jeopardy
Washington's defensive front took a major hit Friday. Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne suffered a significant foot injury in practice that will sideline him for the foreseeable future and likely land him on injured reserve.
#Commanders standout DT Daron Payne suffered a significant foot injury today in practice that will knock him out for the foreseeable future and likely land him IR, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. Payne will undergo more evaluations tomorrow. But another tough blow for Washington.View on X →
Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet): #Commanders standout DT Daron Payne suffered a significant foot injury today in practice that will knock him out for the foreseeable future and likely land him IR, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo. Payne will undergo more evaluations tomorrow. But another tough blow for Washington.
Payne will undergo more tests Saturday, and the team downgraded him to out for Sunday night's game against the Eagles shortly after the news broke. He had been added to Friday's injury report as questionable. The injury happened during a team drill on what is usually a light practice day, and initial X-rays showed significant damage, according to ESPN's John Keim. Depending on those results, his season could be over.
The timing stings for more than one reason. Payne is in the final year of his contract, and his name had been floating around ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline. The injury likely takes him off the market.
He is also Washington's longest-tenured position player. The Commanders took him 13th overall in 2018, and he started every game from 2020 through 2024 and every game so far this season. He made the Pro Bowl in 2022 with a career-high 11.5 sacks, but his real value has been against the run. Earlier Friday, Dan Quinn praised his "strength inside, his power," adding that "some of the dirty work doesn't go in a stat, but you can definitely feel it."
It's the latest blow for a 1-4-1 team that already lost Terry McLaurin to a season-ending knee injury. Washington will also be without starting defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw (knee) against Philadelphia, which puts more on Deatrich Wise Jr. and Charles Omenihu. Jer'Zhan Newton, back at practice this week after tearing a pectoral muscle in August, is questionable. The Eagles will have Saquon Barkley, who carries no injury designation.