Tag: Da’Ron Payne

Daron Payne reacts to his Madden NFL 24 rating

Daron Payne weighs in on his Madden rating.

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As EA Sports revealed its player ratings for “Madden NFL 24” this week, fans and players around the league reacted.

While some fans likely take the ratings a bit too seriously, the players feel a bit differently. Every year, players take to social media to take issue with their ratings.

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and wide receiver Terry McLaurin were Washington’s highest-rated players in the popular video game. Each had a 92 rating.

It’s no surprise Allen had the highest rating of the defensive linemen. But it may have been a surprise that defensive end Chase Young had a higher rating [85] than Payne [83]. Young missed 13 games with a knee injury last season, while Payne had a breakout season.

Payne took notice of his rating on Twitter.

We doubt Payne was too upset; it looks like he was having some fun. He did add one more comment, and he’s absolutely correct.

Whatever you think of Madden ratings, an 83 is ridiculous for Payne, considering he’s coming off a season in which he had 18 tackles for loss and 11.5 from the defensive tackle position.

Regardless, the Commanders love when Payne plays with a chip on his shoulder.

Daron Payne has message for Kirk Cousins after he sacked him last season

It was courtesy of “Quarterback” on Netflix.

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As NFL teams prepare for training camp next week, fans and media took to social media to discuss the current running back market.

But the most popular NFL topic of the past week was Netflix’s hit docuseries, “Quarterback,” featuring Patrick Mahomes, Marcus Mariota and Kirk Cousins.

Cousins is of particular interest because there was a focus on his return to Washington. The Vikings traveled to FedEx Field in what was Cousins’ first game back at his old stadium. Cousins spent the first six seasons of his NFL career with Washington.

The Vikings came away with a 20-17 win after kicker Greg Joseph nailed a 28-yard field goal with 12 seconds remaining to defeat Washington. Cousins took a beating that day, as the Commanders knocked him down 11 times, including two sacks.

Washington defensive tackle Daron Payne had one of those sacks on Cousins. And in a clip from “Quarterback,” we get an up-close look at the play. Payne knocked Cousins down, got up, patted him on the backside and said, “You’ll be alright.”

It was funny looking back.

Cousins did have the last laugh, as he actually completed a long pass to wide receiver Justin Jefferson on the play. For the day, Cousins passed for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Payne was terrific, too, registering six tackles, including four for loss and a sack.

Payne and Cousins never played together, as Payne was a first-round pick in 2018. Cousins’ final season in Washington was in 2017.

Washington fans will always be split on Cousins. The fact remains he is the franchise’s best quarterback in years.

 

Madden 24 ratings for every Commanders defensive lineman and edge rusher

Which Commanders D-Lineman was ranked the highest?

It’s almost time for training camp. Over the next week, all 32 NFL teams will begin reporting to training camp.

It’s also about time for the annual tradition that is “Madden NFL 24.” The wildly popular and legendary game will be available next month, but in the meantime, EA Sports has used this week to reveal players’ ratings for the latest edition.

The strongest and deepest position on Washington’s roster is its defensive line. The Commanders have four first-round picks on their starting defensive line. Which player of the group does Madden feel is the best?

Defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is tied with wide receiver Terry McLaurin as Washington’s highest-rated Madden player. Where are Chase Young, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat?

Here are the ratings for every Commanders defensive lineman and edge rusher in the upcoming game.

Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen voted 2 of the NFL’s best defensive tackles

Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen finally getting some much-deserved respect nationally.

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When Washington spent back-to-back first-round picks on defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne in 2017 and 2018, respectively, it hoped the pair would dominate offenses for years to come.

Allen was outstanding from the moment he was drafted. Payne was good through his first four seasons, but it was in 2022 when Payne took his game to another level.

Payne finished in a three-way tie for third place in the NFL with 18 tackles for loss. He also finished with a career-high 11.5 sacks from the interior, an impressive feat.

Allen contained his consistently strong play in 2022, recording 16 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 16 games. Both players were named to the Pro Bowl.

In addition to each player making the Pro Bowl, Allen and Payne have begun receiving respect nationally.

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN recently polled execs, coaches, scouts and players around the NFL in determining the top 10 players at every position. At defensive tackle, Payne came in at No. 8, with Allen coming in at No. 10.

Payne’s 21.5 disrupted dropbacks — a combination of sacks, interceptions, batted/tipped/defended passes — ranked second among defensive tackles behind Jones (23) and tied for seventh among all positions. His 11.5-sack season earned him a four-year, $90 million extension with the club.

“I always thought since I studied him that he has the most talent out of all of those linemen [on the Commanders],” an NFC exec said. “He has a great combination of talent and football intelligence. And he matured and came into his own last year.”

An AFC scout added: “He has everything — power, explosion, can stop run or pass. Probably a bit underrated at this point.”

On Allen:

It’s no coincidence that Allen, coming off back-to-back Pro Bowls and 16.5 sacks over the past two years, has also landed in our top 10 both times.

Appreciation for his game had been overdue leading up to last year.

“Low-key elite,” an AFC executive said. “Powerful, can take over a game in both phases. Super impactful and honestly makes life for Payne easy.”

Allen was double-teamed on pass rushes at the second-highest rate of any player in the NFL last season (67%), behind Bills defensive tackle DaQuan Jones.

Both players could make the case they should’ve been ranked higher.

Something to note from the evaluation of Allen: “Makes life for Payne easy” and “low-key elite.”

We agree. Washington has wisely invested in Allen and Payne, signing both to long-term contract extensions.

6 Commanders taken in the 2023 mock draft of current NFL players

Terry McLaurin leads the way.

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If the NFL held an actual draft of current NFL players which Washington Commanders players would go early in the draft?

Well, Chad Reuter, draft analyst for NFL Network, has produced the second annual NFL mock draft of current NFL players.

There is no trading up or back, no thinking long-term drafting for the future. This fun exercise is to simply draft players to help you win right now in 2023. It’s a way to see how someone else might value the current players in the NFL in terms of what they could do for your team right away in 2023.

Which Washington Commanders players were chosen, and how high were they selected?

But first, who were the top ten players selected in this current players’ mock draft?

  •  1. Patrick Mahomes
  • 2.  Joe Burrow
  • 3.  Josh Allen
  • 4.  Jalen Hurts
  • 5.  Aaron Rodgers
  • 6.  Trevor Lawrence
  • 7.  Justin Herbert
  • 8.  Lamar Jackson
  • 9.  Dak Prescott
  • 10. Aaron Donald

Is it just me, or is there one player that is really out of place with the other nine in this top ten? Yes, that is the player to whom I am speaking.

Oh, I must not overlook that two former Washington players were also taken in the first round as Trent Williams was chosen at No.17 and Kirk Cousins at No. 19. I know that won’t make any of you happy. However, it does reveal further just how much these two continue to be valued in the NFL.

Ok, here is where the Washington players were drafted.

  • No. 69  Terry McLaurin
  • No. 91  Montez Sweat
  • No. 123 Jonathan Allen
  • No. 171 Daron Payne
  • No. 197 Kamren Curl
  • No. 210 Kendall Fuller

Chase Young, the 2020 second overall player in the “actual” NFL draft and is a $10,997,509 cap hit for 2023, was not selected.

Curtis Samuel, who is a $13,000,000 2023 cap hit, also went unselected in the seven rounds. Also of note, Jahan Dotson (2022) and Jamin Davis (2021) were Washington’s first-round selections, who, in this seven-round mock, went unselected.

Allen and Payne were first-round choices in the 2017 and 2018 drafts, respectively, and are still valued highly in the NFL.

New metric has Jonathan Allen in truly elite company

A new analytical tool shows just how impressive Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is as a pass rusher.

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Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen is so good that many fans and media around the NFL don’t realize just how good.

While Daron Payne had his breakout season last year, tying Dave Butz’s franchise single-season record for a defensive tackle with 11.5 sacks, Allen remained consistently dominant.

Since signing his extension in July 2021, Allen has had his two best NFL seasons. Last season, he set a new career-high with 16 tackles for loss to go with his 7.5 sacks.

A new metric from Brandon Thorn [@BrandonThornNFL] called “pressure quality ratio” measures the rate of high-quality vs. low-quality pressures. Allen ranks third in Thorn’s tool, behind only Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons.

Let that sink in for a moment. Allen was behind two dominant edge rushers — not interior defenders.

Here’s the graphic from Thorn:

Allen had 36 pressures, 23 of which were considered high-quality pressures.

Payne made the list at No. 22. Defensive end Montez Sweat did not make Thorn’s top 30.

Thorn is one of the best in the media as it pertains to line play [offensive or defensive]. You can subscribe to his substack here for more information.

As for Allen, regardless of what someone tells you about any of Washington’s other defensive linemen, it’s the captain who remains the most feared.

The four best defensive lines in the NFL could reside in the NFC East, but how do they rank amongst themselves

From @cdpiglet: If the NFC East has the best four defensive lines in the league, how do they rank 1-4?

The NFC East is the home of possibly the best four defensive lines in the NFL. The Washington Commanders have elite defensive tackles. The Philadelphia Eagles have incredible depth and young potential. The Dallas Cowboys have maybe the best young defender in the league plus depth, and the Giants have a complete four-man defensive line unit.

This group of guys is unmatched by any position group, in any division in the league. No matter how these teams are lined up, some fanbases are going to feel disrespected. They shouldn’t, though. These are possibly the top four defensive lines, so even the team ranked last in the division is still likely the fourth-best in all the NFL. The defensive lines are the biggest weapons on each of these teams, and largest reason for their success except possibly the Eagles offensive line. Here are the defensive line rankings for the NFC East.

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The Commanders boast two of the NFL’s best defensive tackles

Allen and Payne are ranked among the NFL’s best.

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The Washington Commanders have made a significant investment at the defensive tackle position. In 2021, the Commanders re-signed Jonathan Allen to a four-year, $72 million extension. Since signing that deal, Allen has only gotten better, earning back-to-back trips to the Pro Bowl.

This offseason, the Commanders signed Daron Payne to a four-year, $90 million extension after his breakout season in 2022. Washington had planned to let Payne walk in free agency last offseason. The fifth-year defensive tackle busted out in a major way, recording 11.5 sacks — tying Dave Butz’s franchise record for a defensive tackle — and finishing in the top five in tackles for loss.

So it’s no surprise that Washington’s defensive tackle duo is the envy of the NFL. Behind Allen and Payne, the Commanders have two promising second-year players, Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway.

Pro Football Focus recently ranked the NFL’s top 32 interior defenders, and Washington’s duo each made the top 16, with Allen coming in at No. 7 and Payne at No. 16.

On Allen:

Allen has achieved strong PFF pass-rush grades in each of the past three seasons. While not dominant in run defense, he earned a 66.5 PFF grade in 2022 against the run, which was the best of his career. With 47 total pressures, including eight sacks and nine hits, on 482 pass-rushing snaps, he was a pass-rushing force once again in 2022.

And Payne:

Payne’s PFF grades haven’t quite matched his hype. But while we’ve yet to see a season in which he has been good both against the run and as a pass rusher, he has shown enough that it wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see him have a career year in 2023. He has registered 96 total pressures from 1,047 pass-rushing snaps over the past two seasons.

Payne feels a bit low on this list. Did PFF actually watch him play last season? Payne could improve as a run defender in 2023, which would should put him among the top seven, considering he was so dominant as a pass rusher.

Regardless of these rankings, the Commanders have elite interior defenders.

Where does the Commanders defensive line rank among the NFL’s best?

All four NFC East teams rank inside the top 10.

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It’s no secret that the defensive line is the strength of the Washington Commanders. Even if defensive end Chase Young has yet to live up to lofty expectations, this unit is among the best in the NFL.

Washington boasts four first-round picks in Young, Daron Payne, Montez Sweat and Jonathan Allen. Payne and Allen have signed long-term contracts to remain in Washington, while Young and Sweat are free agents after the 2023 season.

How is Washington’s defensive line viewed around the NFL? Pro Football Focus recently ranked every team’s defensive line and has Washington at No. 3 behind the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers.

It remains to be seen whether edge defender Chase Young will still be on the roster when the season kicks off. But, as things stand, Washington’s starting defensive line consists of four former first-round picks.

The interior is led by Jonathan Allen, who has graded among the top 20 interior defenders for three straight seasons. And on the edge, they have Montez Sweat, who earned a career-high 86.4 grade that ranked eighth among players at the position last season.

PFF graded Sweat highly in 2022, and rightfully so. Sweat is an excellent run defender, and he consistently pressured opposing quarterbacks. The problem was he didn’t turn more of those pressures into sacks, which is how you get noticed by some. The Commanders want to keep Sweat around. Defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio believes Sweat’s numbers will “explode” once he finishes on a few more of those would-be sacks.

Allen is the best player of the bunch. However, Payne had the best season in 2022, earning a four-year, $90 million extension.

The Commanders also have excellent depth with defensive ends James Smith-Williams, Efe Obada, Casey Toohill, rookie K.J. Henry and defensive tackles Phidarian Mathis and John Ridgeway.

This is an outstanding unit, and it will be up to new owner Josh Harris to try and keep as much of it together in 2024 and beyond.

In addition to the Eagles and Commanders, PFF also had the Cowboys [No. 8] and the Giants [No. 9] ranked in the top 10. With these types of defensive lines, you can see why the NFC East was so much better in 2022.

What two players make up the Commanders’ top duo?

Washington’s top duo comes from the defensive side of the ball.

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Finding their best players is not difficult when you go up and down the Washington Commanders’ roster. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne first come to mind. At one point, defensive end Chase Young would have been in the conversation, but Montez Sweat has overshadowed him over the past two seasons.

CBS Sports recently reviewed all 32 NFL rosters and named the best duo from each roster. To qualify for the best duo, the pair of players had to be on the same side of the ball. So, for instance, you couldn’t choose McLaurin and Allen.

So who did CBS choose for the Commanders? Payne and Sweat.

Surprised?

Here’s CBS’ logic for choosing Payne and Sweat:

The strength of the Commanders is on the defensive line, even if Chase Young hasn’t lived up to expectations since his rookie season. Sweat has, however, notching his best season in 2022 with a career high in pressures (62), quarterback hits (28) and pressure rate (14.5%). While Sweat has yet to record a double-digit sack season, the numbers demonstrate that’s coming in due time.

Payne didn’t make the Pro Bowl despite notching a career-high 11.5 sacks last year, along with 49 pressures and 20 quarterback hits (9.6% pressure rate). He was one of the best interior pass rushers in the game, and was paid like one as a result.

Both Sweat and Payne are 26, playing a crucial role in leading Washington’s defense to compete with the powers in the NFC East.

No mention of Allen?

Has the author never watched Allen play? No disrespect meant to Payne and Sweat, but how is Allen not one of the two here? There is no better duo at defensive tackle in the NFL than Allen and Payne. Sweat is phenomenal, too, but go back and watch Allen and Payne together last season.

You really can’t go wrong here with any combination of the three, but Allen, along with McLaurin, has been Washington’s most consistent player for a few years now.