The trade didn’t exactly work out, but Adam Peters isn’t about to give up on Marshon Lattimore. In fact, the Washington Commanders general manager is “excited” to see the four-time Pro Bowl cornerback improve after a full offseason with the team.
Peters made his feelings clear when speaking to reporters on Monday, January 27, one day after Lattimore and the Commanders were beaten 55-23 by the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
The GM who sent third, fourth and sixth-round picks in the 2025 NFL draft to the New Orleans Saints to acquire Lattimore mid-season, defended the struggling cover man.
Peters pointed out how “Marshon, he came into a tough situation. He was injured when he got here. … You’re rehabbing, you’re learning a new defense and meet new teammates. We saw him get better, we saw him get more acclimated. … Really excited for him to get an offseason with us and learn the defense from the ground up,” per The Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala.
Adam Peters on Marshon Lattimore: “Marshon, he came into a tough situation. He was injured when he got here. … You’re rehabbing, you’re learning a new defense and meet new teammates. We saw him get better, we saw him get more acclimated. … Really excited for him to get an…
Lattimore would need to make significant improvement to justify Peters’ faith. The 28-year-old was routinely dominated in single coverage and became a magnet for needless penalty flags after finally making it onto the field for the Commanders.
Marshon Lattimore Trade a Rare Miss from Adam Peters
Engineering a deal for Lattimore was supposed to give the Commanders a true shutdown cornerback on the outside. Somebody able to play on an island and thrive against an opponent’s best wide receiver.
That was the theory, but things unravelled when Lattimore’s recovery from a hamstring problem took longer than expected. Although the veteran shined during his long-awaited debut against former team the Saints, Lattimore rarely played to his Pro Bowl level.
He drew three pass interference penalties against the Eagles in Week 16. Lattimore was also bullied by Philly wideout A.J. Brown, something that was repeated during the Conference title game.
Like when Brown got by Lattimore too easily to convert on 4th-and-5 with the Commanders trailing by just two points.
Giving up a play like this is why Peters has been accused of giving up too much to acquire Lattimore. The argument gained weight when Lattimore couldn’t clamp down on a familiar foe, 11-time 1,000-yard wide receiver Mike Evans, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild-Card round.
Chatter about Lattimore’s future only intensified when he lost his cool against Brown in Philadelphia, costing the Commanders 15 yards in the process, per SportsCenter.
Tempers flared between A.J. Brown and Marshon Lattimore on this play.
Lattimore was called for unnecessary roughness. (📺 FOX)
Fortunately for Lattimore, Peters doesn’t sound ready to cut ties just yet, but the Commanders will still need help at cornerback.
Commanders Need Cornerback Help
Aside from standout rookie Mike Sainristil, the Commanders lack capable, playmaking cornerbacks. An underwhelming trio comprised of veterans Benjamin St-Juste, Michael Davis Jr. and Noah Igbinoghene can be upgraded via both free agency and the draft this offseason.
Free agency features quality corners like Charvarius Ward, who is well known to Peters from the latter’s time with the San Francisco 49ers. Meanwhile, a prospect like Notre Dame’s Benjamin Morrison would be worthy of first round consideration by a team that allowed 25 touchdowns through the air this season.
However Peters goes about finding help, he must acquire at least one bluechip talent for the back end. The Commanders already know they can’t rely on Lattimore still being the same player who made multiple trips to the Pro Bowl for the Saints, but they also won’t want to waste Sainristil’s development by not equipping him with a gifted fellow starter.
