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Daron Payne of the Washington Commanders.
The Chicago Bears‘ interior defensive line finished 2025 as one of the biggest weaknesses on the roster, and that hasn’t changed heading into 2026.
The Bears also lost veteran starter Andrew Billings in free agency, and they missed out on Dexter Lawrence, who was traded from the Giants to Cincinnati. With the NFL Draft kicking off on April 23, general manager Ryan Poles may need to look elsewhere an answer.
A to Z Sports’ Kole Noble pitched one such target: Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne. Payne, who turns 29 in May, is a 6-foot-3, 320-pound DT entering the final year of the four-year, $90 million extension he signed with Washington in March of 2023.
His 2026 cap hit is just under $28 million, which is high enough to make him a potential cap casualty — but considering Washington has just six picks heading into the draft, he’s also likely going to be shopped by the Commanders.
Could he be a viable trade option for Chicago? Let’s discuss.
GettyDaron Payne could be a trade candidate for the Washington Commanders during the 2026 NFL Draft. Should the Chicago Bears be interested?
A former teammate of current Bears edge rusher Montez Sweat, Payne’s statline shows a player that has been in decline since his Pro Bowl 2022 season, when he finished with a career-high 11.5 sacks.
He has just 11 total sacks over the past three years, though, including 3.0 sacks, 46 tackles and one forced fumble in 15 games last season. He does remain a stout run-stuffer, though, and he could help the Bears greatly in that capacity.
“There was a time in which Daron Payne was a top trade target name and would have been an expensive player to acquire out of Washington,” Noble noted. “Now that a few years have gone by, the price has lowered for the player that’s still only 28-years-old. … Washington could even eat some of his 2026 salary to push the trade through and lower his hit for Chicago (the Bears would still need to make some restructures to absorb his contract).”
With his current price tag as high as it is, a Day 2 pick might be enough to move him, but a restructure the deal with void years and sack incentives built in would be necessary. And, honestly, the Bears might be better off taking their chances in the draft and waiting to see if the Commanders cut Payne anyway. That’d be the more fiscally responsible move, and they could add him at a far lower cost if that were to happen.
DT is a spot the Bears could still address in the draft. Gervon Dexter and 33-year-old veteran Grady Jarrett are both back. Shemar Turner, the 2025 second-round pick who missed most of his rookie season with injury, is slated to return behind them.
The Bears also signed Neville Gallimore and Kentavius Street in free agency. With Turner unproven, Jarrett aging and Dexter in the final year of his rookie deal, drafting another DT early could be an option.
Ohio State’s Kayden McDonald, widely viewed as the best defensive tackle in the class, took a Top 30 visit to Halas Hall in March, but he could be gone before the Bears pick at 25. Clemson’s Peter Woods is another name in the mix, but he’s not a sure thing.
One intriguing option could be Gracen Halton out of Oklahoma, who would be a target in Round 2. There’s a lot to like about Halton, whose 84.7 overall grade from PFF last year ranked 18th out of 887 qualifying interior D-linemen. He had 30 total pressures in 259 pass rush snaps, and has also been excellent against the run. If he’s still there when Chicago picks at 57, he’d be a far better bet than a trade for Payne.
Beth Mishler-Elmore Beth Mishler-Elmore is a Heavy sports contributor based in the Midwest, focusing on the NFL, NBA and WNBA. More about Beth Mishler-Elmore
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