Did Commanders GM Adam Peters miss by not extending Daron Payne? – Daily Slop

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Bleacher Report

Most Important Contract Decision for Every NFL Team Ahead of 2026 Season

Washington Commanders
DT Daron Payne

Commanders general manager Adam Peters said there’s no huge hurry to extend the 29-year-old after a down 2025.

“I don’t think we’re gonna explore that at this time,” he said. “Really excited to have Daron with us next year, and can probably address that later, maybe after the year. But, and I’ve talked with his agent about that, what I can say is I got a ton of respect for Daron. His toughness, his physicality, his leadership, his ability to play and be available all the time. And there’s nobody tougher than him, and I think he’s going to really have a chance to flourish in this new defense, which will be a little bit multiple and allow him to move around a little bit.”

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It’s a decision that could come back to haunt the Commanders. The last time Payne was in a contract year, he exploded for a career-high 11 sacks. If that happens again, Peters is going to have a difficult choice to make, especially with multiple edge-rushers also set to hit the open market next spring.

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Commanders Roundtable

Commanders add depth with signing of free agent center

Julian Good-Jones, who served on the practice squad last season, was spotted taking reps with the ones as rookie Matt Gulbin rounded out the two-deep. Brandon Coleman is also entrenched in the starting competition at left guard, but he was also seen taking snaps at center following Saturday’s practice where he could become another candidate to reinforce depth while adding to his value to the unit.

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Yet Hill, 26, arrives back in the NFC where he will look to battle through training camp into the preseason.

A former sixth round pick out of Georgia in the 2021 NFL Draft, Hill began his career with the Cincinnati Bengals where he started in three games and appeared in 24 through his first two seasons with the organization. He then fell out of the rotation after not appearing in any game during the 2023 season while being a healthy scratch in several games. Hill was then waived ahead of the 2024 season before joining Cincinnati’s practice squad.

Hill then signed a reserve/futures contract with the Green Bay Packers in Jan. 2025 before being part of the final roster cuts, allowing him to land on the practice squad with the Chicago Bears exactly one month later.

His most recent stint materialized with the Tennessee Titans after signing a reserve/future contract in January before being waived on June 16.

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Sports Illustrated

4 Things We’ll Learn From the Commanders’ First Padded Practice at Training Camp

How the Offensive Line Holds Up

Monday will give the team a chance to gauge whether its current options pass the sniff test presented by Washington’s defensive interior.

The featured trench matchups to keep an eye on should be easily identified between Laremy Tunsil and Josh Conerly Jr against Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Charles Omenihu, and Washington’s other edge rushers. The Commanders have a lot riding on Conerly’s ability to anchor against power and hold that edge from collapsing. They already know how he can move on the next level and as a mobile blocker, but they need to see how much raw power he added this offseason.

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The line has a lot to prove before anyone is going to fully trust Jayden Daniels behind what they have seen in the past. With the new system will come a new blocking structure. While we do not know the complete layout of that yet, it will likely be associated with the zone blocking scheme in some form, based on new OC David Blough‘s lineage. Monday will also give the chance to see if the early camp dominance and pressure from the defense came mainly from the limitations you put on a group without contact in a contact-driven sport.

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Riggo’s Rag

Odafe Oweh is turning heads at training camp

Oweh’s quickness has been easy to notice through the first week of training camp. He has reportedly generated multiple sack opportunities, something Washington is going to need to do a much better job of in 2026.

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The Commanders just didn’t make plays on defense last year. They only turned their opponents over 10 times, which ranked ahead of only the lowly interception-less New York Jets. Their 42 team sacks ranked slightly above league average, but they never seemed to come in defining situations.

Five of the team’s projected starting front seven in the new 3-4 base unit — Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Leo Chenal, Tim Settle Jr., and No. 7 overall pick Sonny Styles — are fresh faces, including both edge rushers and interior linebackers.

Oweh has the scope to completely transform Washington’s defensive unit for the better.

Styles will be the most important player on the Commanders’ defense in the long run, but it’s the former Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers pass-rusher who needs to set the tone in the here and now.

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Riggo’s Rag

5 standouts from Commanders 2026 training camp Day 4

Van Jefferson Jr. – Commanders WR

Jefferson is a curious case. He looked well on course for a highly productive NFL journey during the early stages of his career with the Los Angeles Rams, but things tailed off dramatically. The Tennessee Titans also tasked him with too much last season, continuing his downward trend.

It’s still early days, but things are looking up for Jefferson. If he keeps up this sort of consistency, the Commanders will have no choice but to take him through onto their 53-man roster.

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Rasul Douglas – Commanders CB

Douglas has been among the standouts at training camp so far, and this continued during the first practice with fans in attendance.

The Commanders are still without second-year corner Trey Amos, so Douglas is in a prominent role until further notice. He’s doing enough to keep it that way even when the Ole Miss product gets back, which is precisely what this defense needs during an important transition under new coordinator Daronte Jones.

Douglas has talked the talk and walked the walk in recent years, performing consistently and emerging as a dependable presence. If the same trend continues, he’ll have an important role to play for the Commanders in 2026.

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Commanders Wire

Commanders training camp: Whose stock is up, down after Week 1?

Stock up: RB Rachaad White

There are some positions that can be difficult to evaluate without the pads. The running back position is one. However, you can still see if a running back is finding the right holes, trusting what he sees, runs with explosiveness, and can catch passes out of the backfield. White has looked terrific early. That’s not to say Jacory Croskey-Merritt has struggled because he hasn’t. White will be a significant contributor in 2026.