Marshon Lattimore will be sporting a new look next season.
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Marshon Lattimore was acquired by the Washington Commanders ahead of the 2024 trade deadline with high hopes that he could be the type of lockdown cornerback to turn around the team's struggling defensive backfield. Suffice it to say, the early results were mixed.
Lattimore only played in five games for the Commanders — two in the regular season and three in the playoffs — as a lingering hamstring injury kept him otherwise sidelined. The Pro Bowler was never 100 percent healthy when he did suit up, which brought plenty of complications.
A full offseason to rest up and fully acclimate himself to Washington should help him get back to his high-caliber performance levels. Perhaps symbolically, he'll have a new jersey number too.
Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore is changing his number for the 2025 season
The No. 2 became available due to wide receiver Dyami Brown's departure from the Commanders to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency. Lattimore has taken it.
The longtime New Orleans Saints star will join Mike Sainristil (No. 0) in giving the Commanders a pair of starting cornerbacks both wearing single-digit numbers.
It may take some time to get used to seeing Lattimore in any number that isn't No. 23. He wore it throughout his entire eight-year tenure with the Saints as well as during his five games with Washington last season. But as he seeks a fresh start for his first full Commanders campaign, it feels like the right time to make the change.
This also happens to be his old college number from his Ohio State days. Perhaps this shift can rekindle his magic providing Lattimore gets a better run of luck on the health front. Commanders fans will be hoping that's the case.
Lattimore won't be the only Commanders player switching it up, either.
Luke McCaffrey is subtracting a digit from his No. 12 uniform last year to No. 11 in 2025, which he assumes after Jeremy Chinn left Washington for the Las Vegas Raiders. The 2024 third-round pick and brother of San Francisco 49ers star running back Christian caught 18 passes for 168 receiving yards as a rookie while also being featured as a kick returner.
There is potential for McCaffrey to grow into a much larger role in Washington for this season and beyond, especially with having a veteran in Deebo Samuel Sr. around, who can serve as his mentor given their similar skill sets. He will have a prime opportunity to emerge as the Commanders' No. 3 wideout behind Terry McLaurin and the recently acquired All-Pro.
In both players' cases, there's a new story to be written with their new numbers. When all is said and done, no one in Washington will remember Lattimore wearing No. 23 for the Commanders, or McCaffrey wearing No. 12. They're both out to make a statement in 2025, and this subtle change proves it.
