The Washington Commanders (1-4-1) are in what feels like a must-win scenario against the Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) on Sunday with just two games remaining before the NFL trade deadline, and some unfortunate injury news broke roughly 48 hours before the Commanders take the field at Northwest Stadium.
Defensive tackle Daron Payne, a former Pro Bowler on a $90 million contract, joined the ranks of Washington’s “questionable” players for their Week 8 showdown with Philly due to a foot injury. The team listed Payne as a limited participant in Friday’s practice.
Payne’s current player impact score is 79.8, which ranks him 25th out of 121 qualifying defensive tackles to this point in the season, per Pro Football Network.
Commanders Already Without Javon Kinlaw Against Eagles
Payne’s addition to the injury report is bad news for a host of reasons. First and foremost, it means he could be hampered in, or out of, a game the team pretty much has to win.
The New York Giants lead the NFC East with a record of 4-2-1 and are currently 2.5 games ahead of the Commanders, who occupy last place heading into Week 8.
New York has the week off, so Washington can either pull to within two games of first or fall a full three games back of a Giants team they tied in Week 5 due to disastrous late-game management in the final seconds of overtime.
Philly is gettable given all of its injury concerns, which have resulted in several problems across the offensive line and the absence of quarterback Jalen Hurts for the remainder of the season.
However, a banged up Saquon Barkley will start at running back on Sunday, and he represents the biggest potential threat to the Commanders’ defense — at least at the point of attack.
Washington is already going to be without defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw due to a knee injury that held him out of practice all week. Payne’s absence will mitigate any advantage the Commanders’ hold along the line of scrimmage, if not erase it entirely.
Commanders on Verge of Becoming NFL Trade Deadline Sellers
Then there is the issue of Payne’s potential trade candidacy ahead of the November 10 deadline.
If Washington falls to 1-5-1 and drops more than a full game out of third place in one of the league’s weakest divisions, it will be hard for the Commanders to justify not selling some talent to build up future draft picks before it’s too late.
Head coach Dan Quinn is on one of the hottest seats in football as the midway point of the campaign approaches, and Washington acquiescing to a seller’s position probably signals the beginning of the end of his three-year tenure as the team’s sideline leader.
Payne makes sense as a trade candidate because he is still highly talented, but also in the final year of his current contract and playing this season at the age of 29.
Contenders like the Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, just to name a couple, could use an upgrade like Payne — particularly after the Chicago Bears just dropped a couple first-rounders, and then some, on a deal for former Tennessee Titans superstar defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons.
Based on what the Indianapolis Colts received from the San Francisco 49ers for defensive tackle DeForest Buckner earlier this week, Washington can probably expect a fourth-round pick in return for Payne. And while that isn’t a haul by any stretch, it makes some sense if the Commanders all but fall out of divisional contention with a loss this week.
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