Washington football WR Cody Latimer placed on commissioner’s exempt list

The Washington football team will be without another wide receiver for the foreseeable future.

Over the course of the 2020 offseason, an already thin Washington football receiving core has only gotten thinner. High-upside pass catcher Emanuel Hall tore his Achilles after the draft, and last year’s sixth-round pick Kelvin Harmon, who caught 30 passes for 365 yards in his rookie season, tore his ACL in June.

The Washington football team was already preparing to head into the season shorthanded and unproven at the wide receiver position, and now, that issue is only compounded for them. According to Mark Maske, and confirmed by various other outlets including NFL Update, free agent acquisition Cody Latimer has been placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List, essentially relegating him to paid leave until otherwise.

In addition to Latimer, cornerbacks Deandre Baker and Quinton Dunbar, who played for the Washington football team last season, were also placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt list.

Latimer specifically was placed on the Commissioner’s Exempt List for an indecent that occurred earlier in the offseason. According to the initial report back in May, Latimer’s arrest entailed charges that included second-degree assault, menacing, illegal discharge of a firearm, prohibited use of a weapon, and reckless endangerment.

Latimer was released from custody after posting bond, and the Washington football team did not release him or make a statement in light of the situation. Things were quiet on that front for some time, but now, the NFL has gotten involved.

Latimer will presumably remain on the Commissioner’s Exempt List until the NFL conducts an investigation into his conduct and determines whether or not he should be reinstated. During that time, Latimer will not count toward the Washington football team’s roster occupancy, although he will be paid while off the field.

With Latimer now unavailable, the Washington football team’s receiving core has taken another blow. Ron Rivera and his staff are currently tasked with cutting the roster down to 80 players amidst training camp preparations, but they’ll also need to seriously consider adding a player or two to the receiving core.

Behind Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, and rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden, Washington’s receiving core is now wide open. Trey Quinn has the most experience of the remaining options, but Darvin Kidsy, Cam Sims, and undrafted rookies Jonathan Johnson and Isaiah Wright, among others, will also have a shot.

Latimer, of course, could potentially return, but for now, he has been separated from the Washington football team, and until he’s cleared by the NFL, he will not be among the team’s receivers, as the regular season grows closer.