What would be the worst nightmare for fans of the Washington Commanders this offseason?
Well, that’s easy. If owner Dan Snyder decides he’s not going to sell. Nothing else would come close.
The next worst thing? How about free-agent defensive tackle Daron Payne signing with the Dallas Cowboys?
Payne, who is entering unrestricted free agency for the first time, is coming off a career year in which he established career highs in sacks [11.5] and tackles for loss [18]. Payne is going to get paid — a lot — and he knows it.
Pro Football Focus recently named the best landing spots for the top 10 free agents in 2023 and listed Payne’s top fit as the Cowboys.
Best fit: Dallas Cowboys
Payne is coming off a career year after posting his highest pressure (49) and sack totals (11.5) in five NFL seasons. The franchise tag is still a possibility for the former first-round pick, but assuming he walks in free agency, the Cowboys could fill a significant need by adding him to the roster.
Dallas’ interior defensive line, outside of Osa Odighizuwa, was relatively ineffective this season, ranking 28th in overall grade as a unit (48.1) while generating just five sacks (27th) — four of which came from Odighizuwa — and 64 total pressures (29th). With Odighizuwa on his rookie contract until the end of the 2024 season, paying for Payne’s production isn’t out of the realm of possibilities for the Cowboys as they seek to fill the one hole in an excellent pass-rush unit.
Payne has never played fewer than 750 defensive snaps in his NFL career, which is more than any Cowboys interior defensive lineman has played in each of the past three seasons, making his reliability and availability another key trait to consider.
It’s difficult to see this one happening. If the Commanders don’t agree to a contract with Payne sometime within the next month, they will likely apply the franchise tag on him. It’s hard to see Washington and Payne agreeing to a contract extension, especially with Jonathan Allen already under a long-term deal and Montez Sweat and Chase Young’s deals coming up next.
Washington should do everything in its power to keep Payne. However, if the talks go nowhere, the Commanders should consider trading Payne instead of eventually losing him for only a third-round compensatory pick.
Just don’t think that Payne will end up in Dallas.
