Breaking down the Redskins defensive line depth chart for 2019
By Ian Cummings
Redskins starters on the defensive line
Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen
Matt Ioannidis could be a candidate to be named a starter in this context, but he only started nine of his 14 games played in 2018. Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, meanwhile, both started and played all 16 possible games. And they excelled.
Payne and Allen win in different ways, and yet, they’re both somewhat similar. Allen is the slightly better athlete, but Payne closes the albeit small gap with forceful strength and heavy hands. Both players showed tremendous growth over the course of the 2018 season, and they both remained healthy, which is a big deal for the Redskins.
I may sound like a broken record, but there’s not much more to say about these two, other than this: They’re both very good, and they’re both very young, and still getting better. Allen is 24 years old, and he was named to Marc Sessler’s All Under-25 Team on NFL.com earlier this offseason. Payne, meanwhile, just turned 22 years old, and he’s merely getting started with his development.
After over a decade of ineptitude on the defensive line, the Redskins decided to stop taking the position for granted. It seems to have paid off for them. And it’s not done paying off yet.