The Washington Commanders bolstered their defense by trading for Marshon Lattimore, a seasoned cornerback from the New Orleans Saints. In exchange for Lattimore, Washington traded its 2025 third- and fourth-round draft picks, as well as a sixth-round pick they acquired earlier.
Additionally, the Commanders received a 2025 fifth-round pick from the Saints, balancing out their draft capital despite losing some future picks. Washington has maintained its focus on building through the draft, and with Lattimore, they aim to improve a struggling secondary without sacrificing their overall roster-building strategy.
Lattimore brings an impressive record of pass breakups, ranking third in the NFL since his debut in 2017 with 68 pass breakups. This achievement places him just behind other elite cornerbacks like James Bradberry and Darius Slay, who lead with 73 and 72 pass breakups, respectively.
Washington’s need for a solid cornerback was evident, as they were relying on Benjamin St-Juste as their primary corner and utilizing rookie Mike Sainristil in a starting position outside, though he was originally drafted to play slot corner. This trade allows the Commanders to position St-Juste and Lattimore as their primary outside corners, while Sainristil can return to his intended role in the slot, solidifying their defensive backfield.
The Commanders have also been trying to develop Emmanuel Forbes, their first-round draft pick from 2023. However, Forbes has played a limited role, appearing in only five games, with minimal snaps in two of those. Washington’s defensive struggles in the passing game highlight the importance of adding a veteran like Lattimore.
They currently rank 21st in yards allowed per pass attempt, though they are notably stronger in overall passing yards allowed per game, ranking fifth. Despite this, their 18th-place standing in opposing quarterback passer rating shows room for improvement, which Lattimore’s experience and skills could address.
While Lattimore has an impressive resume, including four Pro Bowl appearances, he also comes with some risks. He has missed 19 games over the past two seasons due to injuries, including a hamstring issue that kept him out for two games this season.
Additionally, Lattimore restructured his contract with the Saints last year, making him more financially flexible, but he still has two years left with significant cap hits of $18 million and $18.5 million for 2025 and 2026, respectively. Washington will only take on a $605,000 cap hit for the rest of this season, making this acquisition a manageable short-term cost with potential future implications.
This trade comes amid turmoil for the Saints, who recently fired head coach Dennis Allen following their seventh consecutive loss. Lattimore, whose name had been circulating in trade speculation for nearly a year, had previously denied requesting a trade and showed up for minicamp to demonstrate his commitment to the team. However, a “personal situation” with Coach Allen reportedly strained their relationship. With the Saints’ coaching shift and Lattimore now moving to Washington, both teams are hoping for a fresh start and positive returns from this significant trade.
