Commanders are making the right call with Marshon Lattimore but he should be on thin ice moving forward
The Washington Commanders invested a lot into Marshon Lattimore in 2024, hoping he'd be the lockdown corner the team so desperately needed as it found itself in the thick of the playoff race at midseason.It's safe to say that didn't happen. Not only did Lattimore deal with hamstring injuries that took away about 75% of […]
The Washington Commanders invested a lot into Marshon Lattimore in 2024, hoping he'd be the lockdown corner the team so desperately needed as it found itself in the thick of the playoff race at midseason.
It's safe to say that didn't happen. Not only did Lattimore deal with hamstring injuries that took away about 75% of his availability after landing in Washington, but his on-field play wasn't anywhere close to what the Commanders hoped it would be.
That, along with Lattimore's contract structure, honestly puts his future with the team up-in-the-air for those outside the building, but Commanders general manager Adam Peters made it clear that Lattimore will be back in 2025 when he spoke with reporters on Monday.
"It was a tough situation for him to come in, but what was cool was, we saw him get better and we saw him get more acclimated, not only to the defense, but to his teammates," Peters said during the end-of-year press conference. "So, [we're] really excited for him to have an offseason with us and and really learn the defense from the ground-up and really have that full runway of training camp leading into the season, and [we're] looking forward to that."
Commanders are making the right call but Lattimore will be under a microscope in 2025
This is already one of the Commanders' big storylines of 2025: Can Lattimore work his way up to the point where he's playing the way the defense needs him to and well enough to warrant the price Peters paid to get him to Washington?
The short answer is "yes", but it's far from guaranteed. Lattimore won't turn 30 until 2026, so time is working in his favor, but his on-field play was very concerning. His 33.1 overall postseason coverage grade was dead-last on the team, which is obviously not what he nor the defense needs, at all. The unit needs him to be a lockdown corner in order for it to take the next step in 2025.
There's also the matter of depth in the 2025 cornerback room. As it currently stands, Noah Igbinoghene, Benjamin St-Juste, and Michael Davis are all set to become free agents. That would leave Lattimore and Mike Sainristil as the only cornerbacks on the active roster, which isn't feasible. But the point stands – the Commanders really need Lattimore to step it up and carry his weight this year.
If not, then 2025 will more than likely be his last year in Washington, as his 2026 salary isn't guaranteed and comes in the form of a $2 million roster bonus and $16.5 million base salary. Meaning, the Commanders cut could ties and open up that much cap room ($18.5 million) by releasing Lattimore before his roster bonus is due on the fifth day of the new 2026 league year.
The stage has already been set for 2025, now it's about going out there and making things happen.
There’s one obvious but significant factor that can keep the Commanders from bringing back one of their best players
A big part of the Washington Commanders' success was bringing in experienced, affordable veterans who had not only produced good tape throughout their careers – they knew what head coach Dan Quinn was all about and could help build the foundation and culture that's required to have success in the NFL. One such guy was […]
