Hamstrung last year, Marshon Lattimore tries to regain his reputation

Washington Post

4 days ago

The widest range of outcomes for any Washington Commander this season may belong to Marshon Lattimore. He could reclaim his place as a star defender at a premium position, or he could become General Manager Adam Peters's most significant misfire.
His track record suggests he could still be a star, the locus of an excellent secondary. His injury-marred performance last year prompts worry his best days are behind him and the Commanders will lack a lockdown corner to build around.
Entering his ninth season at age 29, having missed 25 games over the past three seasons, Lattimore must prove he can stay healthy and rediscover the form that once made him one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. The Commanders need him — he is carrying an $18 million cap hit, sixth-most among NFL defensive backs, according to Spotrac. Lattimore is confident he's the same elite player he was in New Orleans, the four-time Pro Bowl selection who injected swagger into the Saints and neutralized star wideouts.
'I'm proving it to myself, first and foremost,' Lattimore said after Tuesday's practice. 'Everybody has got to see what I put out there. They can judge then. I'm not really too worried about proving anybody wrong. I just prove myself right.'
Lattimore has found comfort at Commanders training camp after a difficult midseason adjustment and playing through injury in 2024. After the trade leading into Week 10, Lattimore had to learn coordinator Joe Whitt Jr.'s scheme, which differed from how he played in New Orleans. He also tried playing through a hamstring injury that held him out six of the Commanders' final eight regular season games and never fully healed.
'It was just the injuries last year,' Lattimore said. 'I know what was going on. Coming here, middle of the season, I just feel way more comfortable right now.'
Lattimore missed four games last year before he made his Commanders debut. He realizes now he returned too soon.
'A hamstring takes time,' Lattimore said. 'I was trying to rush back and play, and I wasn't doing nothing but re-aggravating it. My burst and my confidence in my legs just wasn't there.'
Pressure to help his new team, and to justify their belief in trading for him, drove Lattimore to play too soon. After he missed the final two games of the regular season, his hamstring still wasn't 100 percent. He returned for the playoffs, anyway, and was a husk of himself against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and old NFC South nemesis Mike Evans. He still played roughly 90 percent of Washington's postseason snaps.
'I feel I could have helped,' Lattimore said. 'That's why I got out there no matter what even though I wasn't all the way 100 percent. I tried to show them I could play here and help them win. I just know I wasn't myself. Now I got a full offseason, I'm good.'
Lattimore has been solid, but not standout, at training camp. Several 11-on-11 plays have ended with Lattimore smacking his hands after a wideout caught a pass in front of him. But his track record outweighs a handful of training camp practices. What matters most is that Lattimore is healthy and comfortable in Washington's system. He says he is.
Lattimore's performance this season will determine whether Peters's swing at last year's deadline paid off. The Commanders traded third-, fourth- and sixth-round picks — all in 2025 — for Lattimore and a fifth-rounder.
(The deal eventually became those three picks for Lattimore and Deebo Samuel: Washington dealt the fifth-rounder it received from New Orleans to the San Francisco 49ers for Samuel. The 49ers used that pick, for the record, to take Oregon running back Jordan James.)
At his best, Lattimore would be an ideal fit at the center of Washington's cornerback group. Mike Sainrstil's intelligence, versatility and playmaking makes him hugely valuable, but he's not the type of cornerback who erases a top receiver on the outside. Noah Igbinoghene is a solid veteran who keeps making plays in camp. Trey Amos has shown huge promise as a rookie. The Commanders just need a proven No. 1 corner.
Lattimore believes that's still what he is, now that he's healthy and has a full understanding of the system.
'I like this defense,' Lattimore said Tuesday, before he paused and smiled. 'I love it.'
Coach Dan Quinn has been focused on how second-year players have developed, and he views wideout Luke McCaffrey and tight end Ben Sinnott as those who could make a significant leap this year.
Sinnott was one of the most athletic tight ends coming out of the draft last year, but he struggled deciphering coverages and running routes and caught five passes as a rookie. Quinn has seen signs of progress. At a recent practice, Sinnott picked up a specific check against a blitz, ran a seam route and caught a pass from Jayden Daniels, nailing several nuances with one play.
'A year ago, that would have been harder,' Quinn said.
McCaffrey has been receiving ample opportunities to claim the No. 3 wideout spot, playing with the first-team offense in three-receiver sets. McCaffrey, a former quarterback in college, picked up the offense quickly last year. This year, Quinn has seen him improve finer receiving skills.
'You kind of see maybe before there was still some time he was thinking like a quarterback,' Quinn said. 'Now you see him thinking like a receiver. That sounds counterintuitive — like, more knowledge, wouldn't that be better? He's refined some details at the receiver position.'