Daron Payne, who was listed as full participant for Friday's practice, will be ready for the Washington Commanders' Week 3 home matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Payne first showed up on the Commanders' injury report with an ankle injury after being sidelined in the final minutes of Washington's 35-33 win over the Denver Broncos in Week 2. He did not participate to start off the week but was upgraded to limited on Thursday.
Payne has gotten off to a strong start after putting together career numbers in 2022. Through two games, Payne has seven tackles, all solo, with four stops for a loss to go with three quarterback hits and a sack.
As an example of just how dominant Payne has been at times, he had a sack, a tackle for a loss and a pass breakup during the Broncos' opening drive of the second half.
The Commanders will need his skill set to find a way of stopping Josh Allen, who has a knack for avoiding pressure and gashing defenses with explosive plays with either his arm or scrambling for a first down. Allen leads the league with a completion rate of 76.9%, and the Bills' offense is fifth in yards per game.
"You have to rush, and you have to go, but you have to have that awareness of the pack, so you keep him trapped," said defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. "So that's the challenge. When a guy's a big, gifted athlete like Josh is, that makes it just a bigger challenge."
Payne also said in the locker room that Allen has proven himself as a playmaker.
"You gotta be aware of him as a runner, more so than anything. So, you just gotta keep him in the pocket and having some awareness when we rush him."
Tight end Logan Thomas is still in the concussion protocol, so he will be unavailable for Sunday's game. In his place, the Commanders will have Cole Turner and John Bates, both of whom made catches last Sunday, in expanded roles. Turner had two catches for 21 yards, while Bates, who finished the Broncos game with three receptions for 46 yards on five targets, grabbed a 35-yard pass to help set up the Commanders in field goal range near the end of the first half.
Jartavius Martin (concussion), Nick Gates (knee) and Brian Robinson Jr. (hip) were all full participants and will be active for Sunday's game. Curtis Samuel and Kamren Curl will be questionable with an illness
