Daron Payne missed the NFC Championship game in 2024. He had battled through a dislocated thumb to help the Washington Commanders win their first two games in the postseason. Standing just one game away from the Super Bowl, a bad knee dashed his hopes of getting another shot at the Philadelphia Eagles.
Looking back, we can now see how Washington’s brain trust viewed their roster moving forward, though it may not have been immediately apparent at the time.
Payne had been the one constant on the defensive line interior, playing on almost 70 percent of the snaps.