Marshon Lattimore’s Absence Looms Over Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders’ debut of Marshon Lattimore gets another pause with reports surfacing that the former Saints cornerback is out again for Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. It was hoped that Lattimore would be ready before the Commanders entered the last couple of games, where they would face teams with top records and a divisional rival to cap off the regular season.
Now fans will have to wait, if not groan, as the Commanders enter another game with a defense already deemed suspect by many fans after Sunday’s loss. The arrival of Marshon Lattimore was surrounded by hype because of how well he performed with the Saints. Now it’s becoming a question of how well he will be, and if he will ever heal up. Marshon Lattimore was out of practice Tuesday, still dealing with the hamstring injury suffered while he was with the Saints in Week 9.
With the Commanders losing as much as they did in the backfield, the defense needs him out there. Steelers Quarterback Russell Wilson has slowed down since joining the Steelers, but his Sunday numbers were good, yet preventable. He finished Sunday’s win completing 14 passes for 195 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. The Commanders were 7-3 and had the chance to be 8-2 for the first time since the mid-80s and would have been 5-0 since the early 90s. Having Lattimore available might have changed the outcome of that game.
Quinn Waiting For Certain Things To Happen
Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn didn’t say too much this week about Marshon Lattimore’s readiness other than he’s not playing, but did explain what it would take. “With him, really, it’s the speed part that we have to see to make sure he can really do his thing…But this is a bright guy. He’s played a lot of football and so the ability transfer over that technique is now called this, that call is now this. He was able to pick up on that quickly.”
The process Marshon Lattimore is going through is the same as every Commander goes through coming back from injury. They work through the state of play, make their medical appointments, run a few more checks by Friday, and then get the nod on Saturday or early Sunday. This is the process Quarterback Jayden Daniels went through with his rib injury weeks ago.
Is Marshon Lattimore Becoming a Bad Investment?
After watching how the Commanders’ defense got burned numerous times in Sunday’s loss, and realizing Lattimore will miss another game, was this a bad decision? Have fans been sold on the hope of a quality cornerback who came into the franchise lame? If the Commanders cannot contain the Eagles Thursday night, that will be the concern. The conversation on Friday will be, “We lost another one. Wow, we could have used Lattimore out there.” Considering how positive the season has been that’s not needed. Commanders fans should be preparing for postseason matchups.
This is new, if not a pleasant surprise considering the Commanders were 4-13 last season. NFL Insider Adam Schefter didn’t make this feeling any better with fans with his post on X, saying “Commanders ruled out CB Marshon Lattimore for Thursday night’s game vs. Eagles. His Washington debut will wait.” Wait for how long? Will we ever see this guy play? The lack of details and another loss to a team above .500 can make this situation go from bad to worse with fans very quick. Since no one is giving a proper timetable on his health, fans can only speculate on what could be.
Final Thoughts
A few weeks ago we all watched as Lattimore told the media how he was excited. He said, “It’s a new start for me. I’m just ready to go see what’s in the future for me…I’m ready to go and get it done.” I’m glad he’s excited. I want him to be excited. But he came to a team that lives off urgency and chips on its shoulders. The Commanders are striking the iron while it’s hot, and he needs to get ready real quick. We all saw Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste get dusted and burned in Sunday’s game. The man needs help, and it needs to be on the way in a hurry.
