Commanders 'Can't Afford to Lose' Free Agent DT Daron Payne

The cost may be high, but losing defensive tackle Daron Payne is something the Washington Commanders can't afford.

The Washington Commanders did the right thing in the 2022 offseason by not giving defensive tackle Daron Payne a new deal. 

Instead, the Commanders drafted Phidarian Mathis in the second round of the NFL Draft. 

Giving them a third Alabama Crimson Tide defender in the middle of their defensive line. 

But Mathis got injured in the first game of the season, and Payne went off, racking up a career-high 11.5 sacks. 

Which means, like it or not, it's time fo Washington to pay the man.

"Washington has an elite interior defender already signed to a big multi-year deal in Jonathan Allen — a deal that will look like a total steal after the pending market explosion at the position this offseason — so that will certainly soften the blow here," says Pro Football Focus, naming Payne the Commanders player they can't afford to lose. "Payne’s 48 quarterback pressures in 2022 ranked ninth among interior defenders, as he’s developed into a solid pass rusher over his first five seasons. At the least, Washington should place the franchise tag on Payne."

Allen will count $21.4 million against Washington's 2023 salary cap in the second year of the extension he signed in 2021. 

Over The Cap projects the defensive tackle franchise tag number to cost teams $18.9 million. 

Quick math means that if the Commanders follow PFF's strategy, they'll be paying north of $40 million for its two starting defensive tackles. 

And both would rank in the top five of average annual value among all NFL defensive tackles. 

Couple that with the expected release of quarterback Carson Wentz, and Washington would then be looking at around $9 million in salary cap space before making any further moves. 

The cost is steep, no doubt about it. 

When the team weighs the prospect of not knowing what they'll get out of Mathis in 2023 and having to spend at least one draft pick on the position this April to supplement that unknown, the Commanders may find it to be an expense they have no choice but to pay.

Find David Harrison on Twitter @DHarrison82 and on the Locked On Commanders podcast.

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