The Washington Commanders are set to lose one of their most important pieces in the middle of the defense, with Daron Payne expected to land on injured reserve after suffering a significant foot injury in Friday’s practice.
According to Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network, the 29-year-old defensive tackle was injured during the session and will be out for an indefinite period. More testing is scheduled for tomorrow, but the early signs point to an IR stint.
“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 [on] IR, sources tell me and Mike Garafolo,” Rapoport posted on X. “Payne will undergo more evaluations tomorrow. But another tough blow for Washington.”
The timing is rough for a Commanders team trying to reset its season, with Week 8’s “Sunday Night Matchup” against the Philadelphia Eagles coming up next. Payne’s absence removes a steady presence from a front that was counting on him to keep producing.
Through six games, Payne had been available every week and was in the middle of another productive stretch. The nine-year veteran entered the injury with 14 combined tackles, including seven solo stops, along with one sack and one forced fumble. He was on track for another season with more than 40 combined tackles.
If Washington does put Payne on IR, the next man up appears to be Deatrich Wise Jr. He has played in only two games this season and has recorded four combined tackles, all of them solo. Charles Omenihu is another candidate to see more snaps, while Javon Kinlaw and nose tackle Tim Settle remain the other starters in Washington’s 3-4 defense.
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