Commanders beat out Chiefs for Marshon Lattimore's services

Update: The Washington Commanders have officially traded for corner Marshon Lattimore, beating out the Chiefs and two other unspecified teams.

From the amount of smoke emanating from reputable NFL insiders connecting the Kansas City Chiefs and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, it feels safe to assume that the trade rumors are true. Whether or not a deal will get done in time, before the NFL's trade deadline, is another matter.

NFL reporter Ian Rapoport has word that the Chiefs and Washington Commanders are among the teams vying for Lattimore's services from the Saints for the rest of this season. Two other teams are mentioned as being in it but were not identified.

The Chiefs are apparently searching for a bit more help before the league closes the books on any official trades for the duration of the season even after making two previous deals to bolster the passing game and the pass rush. This final deal would help ease the burden on an ailing secondary.

There's a lot of smoke around the Chiefs' rumored interest in Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

The connection to Lattimore would have the Chiefs positioned to import an instant starter on the outside of Steve Spagnuolo's defense. The Chiefs have been searching for answers since third-year cornerback Jaylen Watson went down with a fractured ankle a couple of weeks ago that cost him the rest of the season for the Chiefs.

The Chefs have tried to turn to Joshua Williams in the interim, but he's been too inconsistent and penalty-prone while Nazeeh Johnson has been in the team's concussion protocol for a couple of weeks himself. Others on the roster like Nic Jones or Keith Taylor are too far down the depth chart to depend upon in the midst of a historic run toward a championship three-peat.

As for Lattimore, he's a former Defensive Rookie of the Year (2017) after being selected at No. 11 overall in the first round of that same season's draft. Since then, he's made four Pro Bowls although he's struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. He ended last season on injured reserves with an ankle injury and a lacerated kidney robbed him of several games in 2022. This year, a hamstring has kept him out of the lineup recently but he's been able to play at a high level around those concerns.