Daron Payne plans to âone-upâ his breakout 2022 season

When the Washington Commanders assemble at training camp later this month for the 2023 NFL season, defensive tackle Daron Payne will try to follow his preparation routine for the 2022 campaign.

“I found some things that was good for me, that worked for me,” Payne said, “and I was able to make a whole lot more plays, and it really made the game way more fun, so I’m going to try to do that same thing and then try to take it up a notch and get some more sacks and make some more disruptive plays.”

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After joining Washington from Alabama as the 13th pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Payne had 14.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss in his first four NFL seasons.

In 2022, Payne recorded 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss as the former Shades Valley High School standout earned Pro Bowl recognition for the first time in his career.

That has raised Payne’s sights for the 2023 season as he tries “to one-up” last season’s performance.

“Last year, I went into it with a goal of 10 sacks, and I got eleven and a half,” Payne said as Washington’s offseason program wound down, “so I think I’m going to shoot for 13 and whole bunch of TFLs and forced fumbles.”

The Commanders responded to Payne’s big season with a four-year, $90 million contract after he played the 2022 season facing the uncertainty of impending free agency.

“It just feels good not to have to worry about the confusion,” Payne said. “I just get to go out here and play football. I get to invest a lot into myself.

“And I got all the big bucks. Now I can help other people and do things I always wanted to do.”

Washington’s other defensive tackle, Jonathan Allen, also received Pro Bowl recognition in 2022, as he had in 2021. Allen and Payne were teammates for two seasons at Alabama and have been teammates for five seasons with Washington.

“We got that chemistry,” Payne said, “We got so much bond built from way back when, and I think it just rolls over to now.”

One of three defensive tackles who played more than 900 defensive snaps last season, Payne was on the field at a greater rate than any other player at his position in 2022, when he took 87 percent of the Commanders’ defensive snaps. Allen wasn’t far behind with an 82 percent participation rate with Washington’s defense, even though he missed one game with an injury.

Payne is hoping another defensive tackle from Alabama will be able to give them some relief in 2023. A second selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Phidarian Mathis sustained a torn meniscus on the third defensive snap of his career and missed the rest of his rookie campaign.

“Man, it would be nice to have him out there in the rotation,” Payne said. “Give us a little bit of a breather when we need it. And he’s a baller, too. …

“He’s got a bunch of energy with him. He’s one of them guys that just likes to dance around. He’s got energy with him every day.”

Washington’s rookies are scheduled to report for training camp on July 21, with the veterans set to join them at the OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park in Ashburn, Virginia, on July 25.

The Commanders kick off their three-game preseason schedule on Aug. 11, when they visit the Cleveland Browns. Washington’s regular season starts with a home game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sept. 10.

Last season, the Commanders won one of their first five games on the way to an 8-8-1 record. In 2021, Washington finished 7-10 after a 2-6 start. In 2020, Washington made the playoffs after starting 1-5.

“Our thing for the defense this year is to start fast,” Payne said, “so we’re just trying to find a way to just get out there and play ball the way we’re supposed to early on in the season.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.