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• Lattimore is still a top-tier cornerback despite injury woes: He currently carries a very solid 71.6 PFF coverage grade, which is being bogged down by a bad 40.5 PFF game grade against the Chargers in Week 8.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
After caving to the hapless Carolina Panthers, 23-22, in Week 9 to extend a seven-game losing streak, the New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen and fell further into despair.
The team's white-hot start to the season — during which they blew out both the Panthers and Dallas Cowboys — has given way to a league-worst 2-7 record halfway through the year. And with the trade deadline here, longtime cornerback Marshon Lattimore is a candidate to be moved.
The Saints have been in salary cap hell over the past few years, consistently maneuvering amid the worst salary cap situation in the league every offseason. It has limited their ability to add talent as they work around big cap hits through savvy means, whether that be converting certain salary numbers into signing bonuses or kicking money down the road to avoid significant penalties. However, with their continual salary cap dealings, it’s time to pay the piper and start a roster rebuild.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore has been one of the ultimate consolation prizes in recent league history. Reports came out after the 2017 NFL Draft that the Saints, who held the 11th overall selection, were going to select Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes were he to fall into their laps as the heir apparent to Drew Brees. This ended up being one of the big “what-ifs” in sports, as the Chiefs sent a king’s ransom to the Bills to jump the Saints and select Mahomes with the 10th overall pick. The Saints, scrambling, settled for their next best option in Ohio State cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who has more than shown he was worth the high selection.
Lattimore hit the ground running as a rookie, putting up an 87.9 PFF coverage grade, leading him to win the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year award. Lattimore has consistently been the Saints’ top cornerback every year since, as proven by making the Pro Bowl in four of his first five seasons. Injuries have been an issue for Lattimore of late, though, as he hasn’t played more than 10 games in a season since 2021 (his last Pro Bowl season) and has already missed two games in 2024, including Week 9's loss to Carolina.
Marshon Lattimore's Career PFF Grades
While Lattimore hasn’t been otherworldly in 2024, he has been a reliable defender when on the field. He currently carries a very solid 71.6 PFF coverage grade, which is being bogged down by a bad 40.5 PFF game grade against the Chargers in Week 8. Remove that outing, and Lattimore’s PFF coverage grade jumps to 77.1, which would put him just outside the top 10 among all qualifying cornerbacks this season despite being older (Lattimore turned 28 in May) than just about everyone ahead of him.
Teams have also been hesitant to throw at Lattimore this season. On 257 coverage snaps, he has allowed just eight receptions for 83 yards. Three of those catches were in Week 4 against the Falcons, which also happened to be his highest-graded coverage game this season (77.7). Lattimore has yet to allow a touchdown this season and has let up only four first downs. In fact, over the past three seasons, Lattimore has surrendered just one touchdown into his coverage, a play against the Colts last season where he got picked and still almost made the tackle short of the goal line.
Lattimore has been worth .14 wins this season, according to PFF WAR, tying him for 17th among cornerbacks. Since entering the league in 2017, Lattimore has been the 10th-most valuable cornerback in football, worth 2.38 wins during that stretch.
In 2021, Lattimore signed a five-year $97.6 million extension with the Saints that included $58.1 million guaranteed. He is currently in Year 4 of that deal and could be a major trade chip for a team with an open Super Bowl window for the next couple of years. The extra year of control could make him more enticing for potential trade partners, but he also carries a 2025 cap hit of $31.4 million that could bring down his trade value. Cornerback-needy playoff hopefuls — such as the Bengals, Steelers, Commanders and even Chiefs — could be potential suitors as the Saints look to hit the reset button and begin a rebuild that has been looming since Drew Brees’ retirement.
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