Toward the end of Washington head coach Ron Rivera’s press conference with the local media Friday, he was asked about the future of defensive tackle Daron Payne. Curiously, this question came after Rivera was questioned about the upcoming trade deadline.
Payne, a first-round pick in the 2018 NFL draft, is having his best season thus far in 2022. He is also a free agent at the end of the 2022 season. Naturally, for a struggling team like Washington, trading Payne ahead of the NFL trade deadline is a conversation the team should have with other teams.
Does Rivera see a long-term future for Payne in Washington?
“I’d like to think so,” Rivera said. “I’d like to hope so. I think the young man is a solid stout football player. He seems to really have a grasp on things and playing alongside [DT] Jonathan [Allen]. The two of them are, are really good tandem.”
He’s right. Payne and Allen are a good tandem. No, they’re an excellent tandem. Ideally, the Commanders would love to pay both players. However, Washington awarded Allen with a four-year extension in July 2021. In addition, defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young are eligible for contract extensions in the next two offseasons.
Can Washington commit to Payne and hope to keep Sweat and Young? That’s doubtful. This isn’t a knock on Payne. The Commanders need to make a choice. The problem is, do you trust them to make the right choice? That’s a legitimate question.
We advocated for Washington trading Payne at last year’s trade deadline. Again, not because Payne wasn’t a terrific player, but this was not a good team and could give the Commanders a premium pick sometime on day two of the NFL draft.
Rivera made the case for keeping Payne around for a longer period of time.
“I know I refer sometimes to my time in Carolina, but the biggest success we had on defense was when we had two really good defensive tackles together,” Rivera said.
“One was the first-round pick; the other one was a second-round pick that could have easily been a first-round pick. Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei. I mean those two guys were a tandem. They allowed the linebackers to run and make plays. You know, one guy forced a double team. He was a space eater. The other guy was athletic and vertical and could get into the creases very quickly. Well you look at the two guys we have, and that’s what I’ve talked about, and I did talk about when I first got here is that that’s the kind of tandem you want to keep.”
Again, Rivera is correct. But how can Washington make that happen? Should the Commanders keep Payne at the trade deadline and push the decision into the offseason? At that point, Washington could apply the franchise tag on Payne, either keeping him around in 2023 or having the option to trade him again.
As much as it would sting in the short term, the Commanders must seriously consider dealing Payne at the 2022 trade deadline — if they can get at least one day two pick in return.
Payne is a fantastic player. But Washington must weigh the long-term future of the franchise with every move it makes, not if it only helps them pick up an extra win in 2022.