Santana Moss echoes every Commanders fan in praising Daron Payne

Washington Commanders defensive lineman Daron Payne isn’t a household name around the league. That’ll happen when you play on the same line as Jonathan Allen, who’s well on his way to making his second straight Pro Bowl, and Chase Young, who was viewed as a generational talent in college at Ohio State.

Montez Sweat is no slouch, either. Though he fell to the end of the first round in 2018, Sweat’s physical traits were as coveted as any pass rusher in his class. He’s currently enjoying the best season as a pro, ranking amongst the best edge rushers in quarterback hits, pressures and run-defense grade.

That’s a tough reality for Payne, who’d without question garner more recognition from the general media if he didn’t share the spotlight.

The Payne hype isn’t slowing down anytime soon after he delivered the game-winning batted pass on Marcus Mariota, which fell into the welcoming arms of Kendall Fuller. The Falcons were seemingly on the cusp of scoring the go-ahead touchdown in the final minute. Not on Payne’s watch.

Simply put, the Commanders don’t win that game without Payne, and former Washington receiver Santana Moss echoed fans’ sentiments by waxing poetic about the 25-year-old stud on NBC Sports Washington’s postgame show.

Santana Moss praises Commanders DT Daron Payne, wants him to re-sign with Washington.

"“When you need him in the most critical situation and moment of the game, he tips the ball in the air and Kendall Fuller comes up with the pick.”“What more can you say? One of the things I’ve always said is that it’s something about that [contract] year . . . whether I worked out harder in the offseason, everything lines up. All the work you put in shows up on the field, and I think this guy is showing you that he’s going to be more than deserving of whatever is it come to him, and I hope he’s still here with us.”"

Couldn’t have said it better ourselves!

While Payne’s batted pass is getting all of the attention (rightly so), the defensive lineman was clutch throughout the second half. On Atlanta’s first possession of the second half, Payne blew up a handoff to Cordarrelle Patterson for a two-yard loss. Montez Sweat followed with a sack of Mariota on the next play, forcing the Falcons’ to punt the ball back and swing momentum back in Washington’s favor.

As Moss noted, Payne’s taken his game to another level in 2022. Through 12 games, the former Alabama star’s compiled 6.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and five passes defended. All of those are career-highs, and there’s still five games left to play. Payne needs just two more QB hits to set a personal best in that category.

How about another look at his game-winning deflection?

Once viewed as Washington’s premier trade chip given he’s playing on an expiring contract and will hit unrestricted free agency come March, Payne is now regarded as an indispensable piece of the defense, and someone fans want the front office to jump through financial hoops to re-sign for the long haul.