No matter how good things are going for any team in the NFL, there is one truth when it comes to roster moves — if you’re not actively trying to improve you’re not getting better.
Even the Kansas City Chiefs, who have won 3 Super Bowls in the last 5 seasons, are constantly making moves. When you put that in perspective, the Washington Commanders need to be buyers as we approach the NFL trade deadline on November 5.
If they’re buying, the priorities need to be at cornerback and wide receiver. And if it’s going to be a cornerback, the player they should make a move for is New Orleans Saints cornerback and 4-time Pro Bowler Marshon Lattimore.
The Saints should be eager sellers at the deadline after hitting rock bottom in a Week 9 loss to the Carolina Panthers in which Lattimore sat out with a pulled hamstring and saw the Saints’ record drop to 2-7.
If the Commanders think they can win now — as in win a Super Bowl right now — then Lattimore is a deft move. And with a 7-2 record and off to their best start since 1996, why not?
“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 One of NFL’s Elite CBs Since 2017
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.
Injuries have been an issue for Lattimore in recent years. He missed 10 games with a lacerated kidney in 2022 and missed 7 games with an ankle injury in 7 games.
Commanders Don’t Have Elite CB on Roster
The failures for the Commanders at cornerback seem to tie directly back to the last head coaching and front office regime, which selected Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
Forbes has struggled to even be a serviceable backup through his first 2 seasons and was the only active player on the Commanders roster to not log a snap in a Week 9 win over the New York Giants, according to The Athletic’s Ben Standig.
Still, the Commanders defense hasn’t been that bad. They’re 14th in the NFL in team defense and fifth in passing defense headed into Week 10.
“You don’t get to complain about the Commanders defense,” NFL insider Kevin Clark said on the “This is Football Podcast With Kevin Clark” on November 4. “Things are going good. You just don’t.”
