The Washington Commanders might have a trade piece the Pittsburgh Steelers could want after second-year defensive lineman Derrick Harmon was carted off in the Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns.
After a 0-2 start, the Commanders delivered a surprise Week 3 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Washington is now in London for their international game against the Indianapolis Colts and could get themselves back to .500.
Nonetheless, if the Commanders fall to 1-3 and fail to carry any momentum from that win over Seattle, teams could be circling potential trade targets. After losing Harmon to a foot injury, Chris Landers of FanSided sees Daron Payne as a potential target for the Steelers to replace Harmon if he’s out for the foreseeable future.
As part of his trade pitch, Landers has Pittsburgh offering the Commanders a 2027 third-round pick.
“Payne isn’t a totally like-for-like replacement, as he’s currently being used as a true nose tackle in Dan Quinn’s 3-4 with the Commanders,” Landers wrote in an Oct. 1 article. “But he has experience playing in wider alignments, and he has the build and skill set to be just fine filling in for Harmon as a 3-4 end. (Payne is listed at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds, while Harmon is 6-foot-4 and 313.)
“He’s in his age-29 season, so it’s safe to say he’s not quite the player he once was in Washington. But he’s a veteran with tons of experience and a double-digit sack season under his belt.”
Washington Would Be Better Off Trading Daron Payne
Over three games, Payne has played 119 total snaps for the Commanders, earning a 58.3 overall PFF defensive grade. Moreover, Payne has generated eight pressures, seven QB hurries, three stops, one QB hit, and three solo tackles.
While Commanders QB Jayden Daniels is working his way back from his elbow injury and the team is 1-2 after an impressive win over the Seahawks, Landers doesn’t see Washington turning its situation around, which is why he believes they should sell around the deadline.
“For Washington, meanwhile, this is a pretty simple calculation,” Landers added in his article. “Jayden Daniels avoided the worst with his elbow injury and should be back soon, but this team isn’t going anywhere meaningful this season.
“Payne is set to hit free agency next offseason, and a 30-year-old lineman probably isn’t the highest priority for this organization right now. Amassing draft capital and getting younger certainly is, though, and if they have the chance to flip Payne for a Day 2 pick, they should absolutely do so.”
Commanders Urged Not to Take Risk With Jayden Daniels
Speaking of Daniels, the Commanders might want him back to try and salvage their season, especially if they can get the win in London to move to 2-2. Nonetheless, Leger Douzable of CBS Sports believes that Washington shouldn’t take any risk with their franchise QB.
“You have to protect the player from himself sometimes,” Douzable said during an Oct. 1 appearance on “CBS Sports HQ.” “We as competitors, we’re gonna want to always go out there and lay it on the line. But this is the face of your franchise. I felt like he came back too early from the injury last year, and remember, he re-aggravated it, and then they shut him down for the year.
“I was so surprised that they didn’t just put him on short-term IR from the onset, just to make sure he gets at least a month of rest… So until he’s 110 percent, I wouldn’t risk my face of the franchise going out there early.”
Commanders, Steelers Get Intriguing Trade Idea After Derrick Harmon Injury