Jeffrey Simmons is off the board, and that matters well beyond Chicago.
The Bears landed the Tennessee Titans star in a massive deal that sent two first-round picks and a 2027 fourth-rounder back to Tennessee. It was the kind of trade that jolts the entire league, and it may have a direct effect on what happens with Daron Payne in Washington.
Payne is heading into the final year of his contract, and with Terry McLaurin sidelined for the season by a torn patellar tendon, he stands out as Washington’s most movable asset. The Commanders still haven’t made a move, holding onto the idea that the season can be salvaged even though the results have not matched expectations.
That optimism is being tested. The next two games should say plenty about how much fight is left in the team.
At the same time, the market for interior defensive help is shifting fast. A pair of trades already in the books could make Payne harder to move, not easier.
Teams that were eyeing Simmons but unwilling to meet that price may now pivot toward Payne instead. On the other hand, the pool of clubs actually hunting for help on the interior may be getting smaller by the day.
That puts general manager Adam Peters in a tricky spot. The longer he waits, the less leverage he may have if Washington decides to shop Payne at all.
There’s also the other side of the equation: Peters may not want to sell. Some around the situation have questioned whether he is too proud to move off pieces, while the Commanders continue to believe the season can still turn. If that’s how the front office sees it, Payne could stay put and any contract talk would be kicked down the road.
A trade of Payne would likely not approach the kind of haul Tennessee just got for Simmons. With Payne’s deal expiring, the closest comparison might be what the Indianapolis Colts received for DeForest Buckner when all is said and done.
For now, Payne is handling it the same way he has handled the speculation for much of the last two years: by staying locked in. The Alabama product remains focused on Sunday Night Football against a banged-up Philadelphia Eagles team.
And the clock is ticking. More trades are expected before the November 10 cut-off point, with Washington’s next two games against the Eagles and Los Angeles Rams looming large in whatever decision comes next. Peters said calls have come in and calls have been made, but making a real move is another matter entirely.
Simmons’ blockbuster deal made one thing clear: teams are not sitting still. If Washington wants to move Payne, the time to do it may be now.
In Other News...
Commanders Pass Rush Faces Pressure To Deliver Against The Eagles
Washington spent the offseason trying to bolster its edge rush, bringing in Odafe Oweh and KLavon Chaisson and adding Joshua Josephs in the draft, all with the idea that the front would become a more consistent problem for opposing quarterbacks. So far, the production has been thinner than hoped, even with Oweh emerging as the teams most productive pass rusher and the group still searching for a steadier impact.
Dan Quinn acknowledged the need to get more from that part of the defense as the Commanders come out of the bye week and turn toward Philadelphia. Facing the Eagles tends to stress every weakness in a defense, and for Washington, the pass rush has become one of the clearest areas where a stronger showing could help define the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Season Is Suddenly Riding On One Huge Jayden Daniels Question
With the NFC tightening up around them, the Commanders are staring at a far less forgiving stretch than the one they expected when the season began. Philadelphias collapse has opened up the division picture, but Washington has not been able to take full advantage, and the bigger concern in the building is how far the team still has to go before it looks like a real contender again.
A lot of that now comes back to Jayden Daniels, because his status shapes everything about how this team is viewed going into the second half of the season. The broader issue is not just the quarterbacks health or availability, but whether Washingtons current roster and coaching setup are good enough to support him in the way a playoff team has to, especially with so much attention on Dan Quinn and the way the front office has assembled the group around its young passer. [Read more 🡒]
Commanders Secondary Has One Obvious Missing Piece Before Eagles Week
Washington has a prime NFC East test coming up in Week 8, with the Eagles visiting while Philadelphia works through a wave of injuries that has changed the shape of the matchup. Even with the visitors in a difficult spot after the season-ending loss of Jalen Hurts, the Commanders still have a secondary that will be under the microscope against a division rival that can test coverage in a hurry.
The bigger question is whether Washington has enough at corner to match up cleanly with Philadelphias top weapons, especially when one more impact defender would change the look of the unit in an instant. A glance at the Eagles defensive backfield makes it easy to see why this conversation keeps coming up, because one young corner has already done enough in seven games to make a strong case as the kind of piece any secondary would love to add. [Read more 🡒]