Alabama in the NFL: Washington Places DT Daron Payne on COVID-19 Reserve List

The former Alabama defensive lineman will have to miss training camp action as the Washington Football Team continues its preseason preparation.

The Washington Football Team announced defensive tackle Daron Payne was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, as of Sunday afternoon.

Washington, with Payne, began its 2021 NFL Training Camp on July 27, but the defensive tackle will be forced to miss time on the reserve list for COVID-19 protocol.

Payne, the 13th overall selection of the 2018 NFL Draft, has spent his first three seasons in the league with Washington after a three-year college career with the Crimson Tide. 

Entering his fourth season in the NFL, the 6-foot-3 inch, 320 pound lineman has had a steady impact as part of Washington's defensive unit. In 2020, he accounted for 52 total tackles and three sacks in 16 games.

In 2018 and 2019, his first two seasons, Payne put up similar statistics, registering 47 total tackles and five sacks as a rookie and 54 total tackles and two sacks as a second-year defensive tackle.

As a junior at Alabama in the 2017 season, Payne earned first team All-SEC honors and was named a second team All-American. He accounted for 53 total tackles and a team-high eight quarterback hurries as part of the national championship-winning Crimson Tide that season.

He was also named Defensive MVP of the Allstate Sugar Bowl, which was the semifinal of the College Football Playoff to Clemson in January 2018. 

In Alabama's win to advance to the national title, the defensive lineman registered an interception via deflection and also accounted for a receiving touchdown in the 24-6 win of the Crimson Tide. 

Being on the COVID-19 reserve list of the NFL means the player has either tested positive of the virus or come in close contact of someone who has tested positive.