Commanders DT Daron Payne issued one-game suspension

Payne was ejected as a result, and further discipline has now been issued. The veteran defensive tackle has been issued a one-game suspension, as noted by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Payne will miss Washington’s Week 11 game against the Dolphins (pending a successful appeal) as a result.

The Commanders have dealt with a number of injuries on both sides of the ball during their ongoing five-game losing streak. Losing Payne will represent another blow on defense, as the eighth-year contributor has remained a full-time starter in 2025. Payne has spent his entire career in the nation’s capital, and he missed only one game during his first seven years in the NFL.

Due to this suspension – which, to no surprise falls under the unsportsmanlike conduct category – however, the 28-year-old will not be in place when the Commanders take on the Dolphins in Madrid. Washington’s bye will follow that contest, so Payne will not be in the lineup again until Week 13. A Commanders team which has lost each of its last four games by double digits will be thin along the defensive front until then.

Payne was retained in 2023 via the franchise tag before becoming one of several defensive tackles to sign a lucrative new deal. The former first-rounder is under contract through 2026 and he will be expected to remain a key figure during that campaign along with the closing stages of the current one when he returns. Payne earned his lone Pro Bowl nod in 2022 when he recorded 11.5 sacks. The Alabama product followed that up with back-to-back seasons of four sacks.

So far in 2025, Payne has only notched one sack but he is also responsible for a safety forced by Washington’s defense and has recorded five pass deflections. That production will be absent for one contest when the Commanders look to rebound on the scoreboard but also in terms of disciplined play.