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Top Donald Payne News
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Donald Payne: Cut loose by San Fran
San Francisco waived Payne on Monday.
Payne spent less than a week with the 49ers before ultimately being let go. The 27-year-old was cut by Washington before the start of the 2020 season and hasn't played an NFL snap since 2019, when he registered 61 tackles (36 solos) and one sack in nine appearances for the Jaguars.
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49ers' Donald Payne: Lands with San Francisco
Payne signed with the 49ers on Wednesday, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports.
Payne was let go by Washington ahead of the 2020 campaign, but he'll serve as depth among the 49ers' linebackers while Dre Greenlaw (foot), Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (concussion) and Azeez Al-Shaair (knee) are hampered by injuries. The 27-year-old appeared in nine games for the Jaguars in 2019 and recorded 61 tackles (36 solo), a sack, a pass defense and a fumble recovery.
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Donald Payne: Cut loose by Washington
Washington waived Payne on Saturday.
Payne played in nine games for the Jaguars last year, averaging 39 defensive snaps per contest while recording 61 total tackles. The 26-year-old linebacker couldn't leverage that experience into a roster spot, though. He'll look to carve out a depth role elsewhere, but he could land on Washington's practice squad if that doesn't work out.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Quiet Week 17
Payne had one solo tackle in Sunday's win over the Colts.
It's a curious finish to the season for the 25-year-old, as he recorded only a single tackle in the finale after posting 57 tackles in the previous four games. Payne will be a restricted free agent in 2020 and likely will return to a reserve role with Myles Jack (knee) set to return following an August contract extension.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Continues tackle binge
Payne had 16 tackles (nine solo) during Sunday's 24-12 loss to the Falcons.
It's now four straight games with double-digit tackles for Payne, who began the season with 15 total tackles for his career. The 25-year-old has 57 tackles (33 solo), one sack and one pass defensed in the four contests as a fill-in starter in place of Myles Jack (knee).
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Reaches double-digit tackles
Payne had 13 tackles (11 solo) and one pass defensed during Sunday's 20-16 win over the Raiders.
Payne has started the last three games with Myles Jack (knee) on injured reserve and has 41 total tackles in that stretch. The 25-year-old has turned himself into a valuable IDP option, having played all but one defensive snap since stepping into the starting role.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Racks up 16 tackles
Payne had 16 tackles (eight solo) during Sunday's 45-10 loss to the Chargers.
The 25-year-old now has 29 tackles (14 solo) and a sack in two starts in place of Myles Jack (knee), who was placed on injured reserve. The tackle numbers have undoubtedly been helped by the game script, as the Jaguars faced significant halftime deficits in both contests and were outscored 73-21 overall. Regardless, Payne could be a solid late-season IDP pickup, considering he's poised to finish out the season as Jacksonville's starting middle linebacker.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: More opportunity to start
Payne will continue to start now that Myles Jack (knee) has been placed on injured reserve.
Payne drew his first start of the season in the team's Week 13 loss to Tampa Bay. He racked up 13 tackles and a sack while playing on all but one defensive snap. Payne should have a chance to build on that outing now that Jack is done for the season, with his next test coming in the team's Week 14 matchup against the Chargers.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Posts 13 tackles in first start
Payne had 13 tackles (six solo) and a sack during Sunday's 28-11 loss to Tampa Bay.
The 25-year-old received the start with Myles Jack (knee) sidelined and led the defense in tackles during the first start of his career. Payne could have some IDP value should Jack be forced to miss additional games.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Receiving first career start
Payne will start at middle linebacker for Sunday's game against the Buccaneers.
Myles Jack (knee) is unable to play Sunday, providing Payne with the first starting chance of his career. Payne has only three tackles this season but could be in line for a major snap share since Jack typically plays every defensive snap.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Rejoins Jags
Payne signed a contract with the Jaguars on Tuesday.
Payne spent parts of the last two seasons with the Jaguars but was let go in May with a failed physical designation. The 25-year-old now returns to the team to provide additional depth at linebacker.
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Donald Payne: Let go by Jags
Payne (undisclosed) was cut by the Jaguars with a failed injury designation on Thursday, Phillip Heilman of The Florida Times-Union reports.
Payne appeared in seven games in 2018 before suffering a sprained MCL. In those games, the Stetson product didn't see the field on defense and recorded both of his tackles and recovered a fumble on special teams over 111 snaps. Payne's injury played a role in his release from Jacksonville, but it's unknown exactly what that injury is -- it could very well have something to do with the MCL injury he sustained in the 2018 season. More information should surface about the 24-year-old's health as the offseason goes on and as he searches for another team.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Activated from IR
The Jaguars activated Payne (knee) from injured reserve Friday, Phillip Heilman of The Florida Times-Union reports.
Payne appears to have fully recovered from an MCL sprain sustained in late October, and rejoins Jacksonville's active roster in time for the season finale. The 24-year-old could see rotational snaps during Sunday's game against the Texans.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Receives return designation
Payne (knee) was designated to return off injured reserve by the Jaguars on Wednesday, freelance NFL writer Howard Balzer reports.
Payne landed on injured reserve with an MCL sprain in late October but could now have a chance to play again this season. The 24-year-old's initial recovery timetable was three to four weeks, so even if the injury was worse than originally feared, there has been significant time for him to rehab extensively. Typically, there is a 21-day window in which players are allowed to practice before the team must decide to activate them off injured reserve, but that timeline is accelerated with only two weeks left in the regular season and the Jaguars out of the playoff picture. Payne didn't play a defensive snap in seven games before suffering the injury, and would likely return in a similar special-teams role if activated.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Heads to injured reserve
Payne (knee) was placed on injured reserve by the Jaguars on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Payne suffered a sprained MCL in Sunday's loss to the Texans and was originally expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks. As evidenced by this news, the injury could be worse than what was first reported. Payne will need sit out a minimum of eight weeks on IR, so it's possible his season could be over. Fellow linebacker Blair Brown could see an uptick in snaps with Payne sidelined.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Out 3-to-4 weeks with MCL sprain
Payne is expected to miss 3-to-4 weeks after sustaining an MCL sprain in Sunday's 20-7 loss to the Texans, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Payne sees the overwhelming majority of his snaps on special teams, so his potential absence should go largely unnoticed in IDP leagues. Fortunately for Payne, the Jaguars are on bye in Week 9, so if his timetable holds true, he could be sidelined as little as one game with the injury.
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Jaguars' Donald Payne: Questionable to return to Sunday's game
Payne is questionable to return to Sunday's game with a knee injury, Tad Dickman of the Jaguars' PR Staff reports.
Payne will have to convince the medical staff that he's good to go before he can trot back out there. In the meantime, Blair Brown and Lerentee McCray could be asked to slide into Payne's spot as the primary reserve to Myles Jack.
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Player Bio
| HT/WT: 5-11, 217 lbs |
| Birthplace: Fayetteville, GA |
| Age: 29 |
| School: Stetson |
| Experience: 4 |