LOUDOUN COUNTY, Va. – The Washington Commanders announced today that they have placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Daron Payne.
Last season, Payne played and started all 17 games and recorded a career high 64 total tackles (33 solo), 11.5 sacks, 20 QBH's, five passes defensed, and one fumble recovered. Payne finished the season becoming the seventh defensive tackle in franchise history to be selected to a Pro Bowl.
Payne is entering his sixth NFL season after originally being selected by Washington in the first round (13th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft. For his career, Payne has played a total of 81 games with 75 starts and recorded a total of 162 tackles and 26 sacks.
Payne, 25, played collegiately in 44 games at Alabama from 2015-17. He compiled 102 career tackles (39 solo), 5.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, five pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and one interception. He was selected as the Defensive MVP of the Allstate Sugar Bowl and the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the 2017 season. He garnered Second Team All-America accolades from the AFCA and was selected as a First Team All-SEC honoree by the Associated Press.
