Chiefs among final four to trade for Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore

On By Littum

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

From the amount of smoke coming from reputable NFL insiders linking the Kansas City Chiefs and cornerback Marshon Lattimore, it feels safe to assume the trade rumors are true. Whether a deal gets done in time for 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 looking for a little more help before the league closes the books on any official trades during the season, even after making two previous deals to bolster the passing game and pass rush. This final agreement would help ease the burden on a sick secondary.

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

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

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