A Commanders leader explains the defense's secret weapon

Training camp is a prime opportunity for the Washington Commanders to fully blend their new faces with their old ones, but it's the remaining players who are going to help bring them into the mold faster than just practicing ever could.

One of those returning Commanders, defensive tackle Daron Payne, has been praised this preseason for his leadership role on the team dating back to last year, the first under head coach Dan Quinn and his staff.

With longtime teammate, dating back to their days with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Jonathan Allen now in Minnesota, Washington has a new longest-tenured interior presence, and he’s embracing being a tone setter in 2025.

Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne (94). / Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

"I'm kind of a guy that just does my own thing. I really don't need anybody to set the tone for me. I set this tone for myself,” Payne says. 

And that tone he’s setting for himself is not only witnessed by his younger teammates, but emulated. Behind closed doors, defensive line coach Darryl Tapp will tell you that Payne’s leadership is much more outward than the usually calm demeanor we see on the practice field and in interviews.

As much as Payne presents a familiar face to the Commanders’ defense, this isn’t the same unit you’ve seen in the past. This year’s group, especially on the defensive line, is as versatile as we’ve seen in years. 

That versatility will allow defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. to be as creative as he wants to be, and hopefully, fully unlock the potential of his scheme, more so than he could last season. It’s a process, for certain, and far from complete, but Quinn told us on Tuesday he thinks his coordinator is about halfway there in building the operation he envisions.

Payne is also seeing the vision and embracing his group’s ability to match up against anyone in the NFL.

“I feel like it's just the way we play, play our defense. We can get big and get to base. We had guys like [DT Eddie] Big Eddie [Goldman] and Kinlaw playing big end, or we can get to nickel and or our pass rush package,” he says. “It's like you just have to be aware of who you are out there with. I feel like that's just going to help us have diversity when it comes to just facing different teams.”

A versatile scheme leads to many players contributing, something we got a taste of last year in Whitt’s first calling the defense. While Payne led the defensive line in snaps, he played the fewest of his career, a clear sign of just how rotational the unit really is.

Helping Whitt and his line get better every day and installing their scheme is the Washington offensive line, another unit that should be vastly improved over last year’s group.

“They got some good vet guys at tackle, some young guys playing guard and another guy at center,” Payne says about his opposing teammates. “I feel like they worked together well. They all have their good talents, and it's just some good guys.”

That praise doesn’t come as a standard effort to support teammates. More than ever, the Commanders’ defense and offense are working together, sharing tips and peer-to-peer evaluations to make each other better.

Because of those efforts, and those of the front office to further develop a roster custom fit to what the coaches are trying to accomplish, Washington is one of the teams in the league expected to make a lot of noise this season, and only growing in anticipation with every snap.