Commanders Get Discouraging Injury News on $97 Million All-Pro

Getty New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

The Washington Commanders aren’t going to rush newly-acquired cornerback Marshon Lattimore into service. That would negate the point of bringing him over from the New Orleans Saints in the first place — he’s in Washington to play in the biggest games down the stretch as they try and make the playoffs.

That’s sounding more and more like it won’t include a Thursday Night Football game at the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11.

“With him, really, it’s the speed part that we have to see to make sure he can really do his thing,” Quinn told the media before practice on November 12. “But this is a bright guy. He’s played a lot of football and so the ability transfer over that technique is now called this, that call is now this. He was able to pick up on that quickly.”

Lattimore didn’t practice Tuesday (hamstring) and seems on track to miss his third consecutive game dating back to his final game with the Saints in Week 9. He also missed the Commanders’ 28-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10.

“With a Thursday game against the Eagles on deck for Washington, it seems like a third straight week on the sideline is in Lattimore’s future,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on November 12. “… Playing on Thursday gives Lattimore a little more time to heal up before Week 12 and that might make it the most realistic date for his debut.”

Commanders Need Lattimore at All-Pro Level

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 Don’t Have Elite CB on Roster

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 has yet to develop into a full-time starter or even a competent backup. If the Commanders are lucky, they will find a team willing to swap a third-day pick for him in the offseason.

The better move for the Commanders if they want to improve at cornerback in the long run might be to wait for a talented class of free agents in 2025 — a group which includes Rasul Douglas, Mike Hilton, Charvarius Ward and D.J. Reed.