Through the first 2 months of his tenure with the Washington Commanders, the return on investment for cornerback Marshon Lattimore hasn’t been anything close to what the franchise hoped for when it traded third, fourth and sixth round draft picks in 2025 in exchange for Lattimore and a 2025 fifth round pick.
If Lattimore can return from an injury that’s kept him out for the last 2 games and make an impact in the postseason, all will likely be forgiven.
Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced Lattimore was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice ahead of Sunday’s NFC Wild Card Game on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said on Wednesday that cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been ‘hitting all the markers’ in his attempt to return to action after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury and that continued to be the case at Wednesday’s practice,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on January 8. “Lattimore was listed as a full participant in the team’s first session ahead of Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers. The practice was described as a jog-through and Thursday’s workout will be full speed, so it may be more telling about Lattimore’s ultimate outlook for the weekend.”
If Lattimore can actually play on Sunday, football fans should be in for a treat. His longstanding beef with Tampa Bay receiver Mike Evans has already entered the pantheon of football’s greatest player vs. player rivalries and seeing them square off in the postseason could be its own special kind of football miracle.
Lattimore Hasn’t Been Available Very Often
Lattimore has played in just 2 of a possible 8 games since joining the Commanders on November 5 — a road win at the Saints in Week 15 and a home win against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16 that snapped Philly’s 10-game winning streak.
Lattimore’s outing against the Eagles didn’t go great.
“Commanders CB Marshon Lattimore has been called for 3 defensive pass interference penalties in the third third quarter, making him 1 of 2 players to have DPIs in a single quarter in the last 25 seasons,” ESPN’s Field Yates wrote on his official X account on December 22.
Lattimore still has the skills to be a shutdown corner — which the Commanders desperately need in the playoffs — and has a more than respectable 70 grade from PFF in 9 regular-season games in 2024.
Commanders Need to Contain Bucs’ Wide Receivers
While Lattimore can probably be counted on to go head-to-head with Evans if he’s healthy, the Buccaneers and quarterback Baker Mayfield have shown they’re much more than just the 5-time Pro Bowler who just tied Jerry Rice’s NFL career record with his 11th consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season.
Lately, the hot hand in the Buccaneers’ receiving game has belonged to rookie Jalen McMillan, who scored a touchdown in 5 consecutive games to end the regular season. While McMillan finished his rookie year with 37 receptions for 461 yards and 8 touchdowns, he had 24 receptions for 316 yards and 7 touchdowns over those final 5 games.
The Buccaneers are in the playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and won a home NFC Wild Card Game against the Eagles last season. The Commanders are in the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and haven’t won a playoff game since 2005.
