Commanders' DC leaves out big two names when discussing defense

The Washington Commanders introduced new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones on Tuesday, and he spent over 30 minutes answering questions, talking about his upbringing, connection to the DMV and his excitement for some of the team's players.

Jones mentioned his excitement for several players, including linebacker Frankie Luvu, who had a down year in 2025.

"Love Frankie Luvu. Watched him on tape," Jones said. "He's a guy that, before I even got here that, we would watch and put on a tape in our meeting room. I love his athleticism. He's best going downhill, getting the matchup on running backs, that's always a key."

Luvu, going into his third year with Washington, sounds like he'll be featured prominently in the team's plans.

Jones also mentioned others, such as Mike Sainristil, Trey Amos, Quan Martin, Javon Kinlaw, Will Harris, Kain Medrano and Tyler Owens. Do you notice who he didn't mention?

Two names come to mind: future Hall of Fame linebacker Bobby Wagner and defensive tackle Daron Payne. Could it have been an oversight on Jones's part? Sure. Wagner isn't under contract next season, so it would make sense that Jones wouldn't mention him. He'll also be 36 next season, and Jones probably wants his own middle linebackers to build his defense around.

But what about Payne? He's entering the final season of his contract, he's 28 and has the highest cap number on the team for 2026. There's been plenty of speculation about what Washington will do with Payne. Trade him, release him, or just let him play on his current cap number for next season.

Payne has played eight seasons in the NFL, and his production doesn't match his cap number, but the Commanders would need to replace him. Washington's defense was horrendous last season, but opponents believe the interior duo of Payne and Kinlaw were the only challenging part to prepare for.

What does this mean? It seems unlikely that Jones would omit Payne's name when naming the players he was excited to coach. However, it's possible. It's interesting that Jones would mention 2025 sixth-round rookie Medrano, who didn't play a snap of defense last season, but forgot to mention Payne or Wagner.

Free agency begins in exactly one month, so we should have clarity soon on Payne's future in Washington.

This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Daronte Jones had two key omissions