The Green Bay Packers might be on a bye this week, but the front office probably isn't taking any long weekends to Cancun.
The NFL trade deadline arrives on Tuesday afternoon, and the Packers need help. If it wasn't obvious before, Week 9's loss to the Detroit Lions cleared up any misconceptions about the balance of power in the NFC North, and time is running out for the Packers to figure out what sort of moves are out there that can close the gap with Detroit.
Those moves, presumably, would be in the secondary. It's been an issue for them most of the season, and both fans and media members have long suspected that GM Brian Gutekunst has one or two moves in him before Tuesday afternoon
Pro Bowl-caliber cornerbacks don't come around mid-season all that often, but thanks to a recent personnel decision in New Orleans, the Packers may have just gotten a rare opportunity to make a major upgrade.
Saints' decision to fire Dennis Allen could be great news for the Packers
Dennis Allen's departure could create an opportunity for the Packers to trade for Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Since getting taken 11th overall out of Ohio State back in 2017 NFL Draft, Lattimore's consistently been considered one of the best cornerbacks in football. Though he hasn't always been consistent – which isn't unusual for cornerbacks – his peaks have been as good as any: he was named Rookie of the Year in 2017 and has made four Pro Bowls.
For his career, he's played in 97 games, starting them all, and has 326 solo tackles, 15 interceptions – two of which were pick-sixes – and five forced fumbles.
This season, probably to the surprise of no one, Lattimore's performances have been all over the place. He's allowed eight receptions on 14 targets for 83 yards, but according to Pro Football Focus, hasn't allowed a touchdown yet. Some games – like the Week 4 matchup against Atlanta – he looks like a star, and others – like the Week 8 game against the Chargers – his stats and performance look a bit more pedestrian.
All that being said, the Packers don't have the luxury of being too picky. If the season ended today, Lattimore's overall PFF grade would be the fourth-best of his career, and the site currently ranks him as the 32nd best corner in football (out of 110).
That would make him the second-best corner on Green Bay's roster by a large margin. Going into their bye week, the Packers corners currently rank 14th (Jaire Alexander), 73rd (Keisean Nixon), and 110th (Eric Stokes). The only other corner to have coverage snaps this year, Carrington Valentine, hasn't played enough to be eligible for PFF rankings yet.
