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There’s always going to be a slim margin of error playing cornerback in the NFL — perhaps more than any position on the field. One single step in the wrong direction could spell disaster for your team at any moment.
Even with that leeway, it’s hard to comprehend the historically bad game Washington Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore had in terms of penalties against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16.
“Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore has been called for 3 defensive pass interference penalties in the third third quarter, making him 1 of 2 players to have DPIs in a single quarter in the last 25 seasons,” ESPN’s Field Yates wrote on his official X account on December 22.
The Commanders added Lattimore in a trade with the New Orleans Saints on November 5 but the game against the Eagles was only his second in a Commanders uniform after he missed 5 consecutive games with a hamstring injury — his last game with the Saints then 4 games with the Commanders.
The Commanders rallied to defeat the Eagles 36-33 to improve to 10-5 and snap the Eagles’ 10-game winning streak despite Lattimore’s uncharacteristic flurry of penalties. Washington won on the back of a 5-touchdown performance from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw the winning touchdown pass with just 9 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Commanders Added Elite Defender Late in Season
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, although the Commanders do have an out following the 2024 season as Lattimore will have already earned all of the guaranteed money in the deal at that point.
Lattimore was one of the most sought-after trade pieces in the NFL leading up to the deadline to make deals.
“Cornerback Marshon Lattimore, however, continues to be a magnet for trade chatter in league circles,” Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio wrote on November 2. “His contract runs through 2026. Trading him would trigger a $20.63 million cap charge for 2025, but it would clear $16 million in cash from the books. (His cap number for 2025 is $31.4 million.) At a 2024 base salary of $1.21 million, trading for Lattimore would not require his new team to devote much cap space to the acquisition. The challenge becomes 2025 and beyond.”
Lattimore Slow to Return From Hamstring Injury
Lattimore practiced for the first time on November 27, with Quinn telling The Athletic’s Ben Standig and Cale Clinton that Lattimore was “awesome” in his return to action.
From The Athletic: “Before the injury, Lattimore was allowing a career-low 42.9 completion percentage and a career-best of just 4.4 yards per target allowed through seven games, according to Sports Info Solutions. Now, Lattimore makes his potential return for a team still in the hunt for a playoff spot.”
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