It’s been almost 3 weeks since the Washington Commanders made a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Saints for NFL All-Pro cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
It’s going to end up being close to a month since they trade happened that Lattimore will even take the field for the Commanders after head coach Dan Quinn announced Lattimore won’t play in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys, but looks on track to make his return in Week 13 against the Tennessee Titans.
It will be the fourth consecutive game that Lattimore is out, dating back to his final game with the Saints, due to a hamstring injury.
“It’s really more when (Lattimore) is ready,” Quinn told ESPN’s John Keim on November 22. “And if that was earlier than the bye, then that’s when it would be. You’ve got to make sure these soft tissue injuries are strong, the quads, glutes, calves, hamstrings. And so, if it’s fully healed and able to do all the things, the top speeds, then that would be the marker to go. But not until then.”
In the most basic terms passible, the Commanders need a lift after 2 consecutive losses dropped them to 7-4 and into the seventh and final NFC playoff spot. They’re hoping that lift might come from Lattimore’s return — and hopefully before the season slips out of their grasp.
Lattimore One of NFL’s Best Corners When Healthy
Lattimore has been one of the NFL’s elite cornerbacks since the Saints drafted him with the No. 11 overall pick out of Ohio State in 2017.
He was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2017 and made his first Pro Bowl with a career-high 5 interceptions in just 13 games. It was the first of 4 Pro Bowl nods for Lattimore, who has 15 career interceptions through his first 7 seasons.
In September 2021, Lattimore cashed in with a whopping, 5-year, $97.6 million contract extension that runs through 2026.
Injuries have been an issue for Lattimore in recent years. He missed 10 games with a lacerated kidney in 2022 and missed 7 games with an ankle injury in 7 games.
Commanders Trying to Fill Missing Part of Defense
One thing the Commanders haven’t had in a long time is a genuine, shutdown cornerback — they haven’t had a player make Pro Bowl at cornerback since DeAngelo Hall in 2010 and haven’t had one selected NFL All-Pro since Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green in 1991.
Lattimore’s time with the Commanders might be short if he doesn’t perform well — there’s an out for his contract in 2025 but he could play his way into a lucrative new deal on a team that will have over $100 million salary cap space available next year.
That money is pretty much up for grabs at this point to the best player available after the Commanders selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. in the first round (No. 16 overall) of the 2023 NFL draft. Forbes has been one of the NFL’s worst cornerbacks over the last 2 seasons and seems like a prime candidate to be dangled as trade bait in the offseason.
If Lattimore doesn’t work out, the Commanders could end up turning to a talented free agent class to find their cornerback of the future or the NFL draft, where ESPN projects they’ll take Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison in the first round.
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