The Washington Commanders can’t seem to catch a break. On Friday, as the team finished preparing for Sunday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, bad news struck. Starting defensive tackle Daron Payne suffered a “significant” foot injury in Friday’s practice and is expected to land on injured reserve.
The Commanders released their final injury report around 4:00 p.m. on Friday, ruling out only one player: defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw suffered a knee injury in the Week 6 loss at San Francisco and will miss at least this week’s game. That means the Commanders will be without two of their three starting defensive lineman for Sunday’s divisional tilt against the Eagles.
Payne, 29, is in his ninth NFL season after Washington made him
the No. 13 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. He has appeared in 136 career games for Washington, starting 130 and recording 446 tackles, including 67 for loss, 86 quarterback hits, 38 sacks, eight forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and one interception. He made the Pro Bowl in 2022, which was his best NFL season. Payne finished that year with 64 tackles, 28 TFLs, 20 quarterback hits and 11.5 sacks. He signed a four-year extension that offseason and will be a free agent at the end of this season.
#Commanders standout DT Daron Payne suffered a significant foot injury today in practice that will knock him out for the foreseeable future and likely land him IR, sources tell me and @MikeGarafolo.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 30, 2026
Payne will undergo more evaluations tomorrow. But another tough blow for… pic.twitter.com/ENPd0FB1eV
This is the latest significant injury for the Commanders, who lost star wide receiver Terry McLaurin for the season with a torn patellar tendon. In nine seasons, Payne has missed only three career games, two of which were last season.
With Washington at 1-4-1 heading into Sunday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Payne had been mentioned in trade rumors, with some believing the Commanders could get anywhere from a third- to fifth-round pick for him. That possibility is now off the table, and Washington’s chances of climbing back into the NFC East race suffered another setback on Friday.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders longtime starter suffers 'significant' injury on Friday
