The Washington Commanders took a huge risk at the deadline last season, trading three draft picks for Marshon Lattimore and a fifth round pick.
It was a win-now move for Washington, that didn't exactly pay dividends. Lattimore missed the first four weeks of his Commanders tenure with a hamstring injury. He made his Commanders debut in Week 15 and looked really good in coverage, with not a single pass being thrown his way.
After that, things went downhill quickly. In Week 16, Lattimore aggravated his hamstring injury, sidelining him for the last two weeks of the regular season. Lattimore returned for the playoffs, but his play did not live up to the hype.
In Baltimore's three playoff games, Lattimore posted PFF grades of 26.5, 58.0 and 35.6, respectively. In the playoffs, Lattimore surrendered 10 catches for 172 yards and a touchdown, while picking up three penalties.
Lattimore skipped voluntary OTAs, which continued to worry some fans. But the veteran answered his critics and then some, showing up to minicamp looking like a whole new player.
According to those in attendance, Lattimore was fully healthy, with a "notable sharpness" to his movements, looking more agile, playing with no limitations. Lattimore is also playing without any inner doubt that a quick movement could cause further injury, which clearly plagued him last season. Earlier in the week, Lattimore expressed confidence in his upcoming campaign.
"I feel good." Lattimore said. "It's been a full offseason to get healthy. I feel great, I've been working a lot, getting in better shape than I obviously was last year dealing with an injury, so I feel good. Just the burst, getting out of my breaks and all that. I was dealing with a hamstring, you know that takes a lot out of you. It takes a long time to heal, and I was just trying to battle through that. But now, with a full offseason, I feel great. I feel more explosive."
If Lattimore is able to truly bounce back and play at his Pro Bowl level, suddenly the cornerback room can transform into an area of concern to a strength of the Commanders. With Mike Sainristil looking poised for a breakout season, second-round pick Trey Amos, veterans Jonathan Jones and Noah Ibinoghene, the Commanders have five formidable options.
