The Washington Commanders are moving slowly with Marshon Lattimore. Fans are desperate to see the cornerback suit up in a competitive setting after he was acquired via trade from the New Orleans Saints before the deadline. However, those in power are taking every possible precaution to ensure he's firing on all cylinders when things matter more.
Lattimore is still recovering from a hamstring injury suffered with the Saints earlier this season. He's not been active over the last two games and his status for Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys is hanging in the balance.
The sooner Lattimore gets onto the field, the better Washington's chances will be. He's a premier shutdown cornerback capable of shutting down the opposition's most prolific receiving threat. With expectations rising following a tremendous start to his rebuild, general manager Adam Peters got aggressive to bolster the team's immediate chances while also keeping the long-term vision in mind.
Washington had a plan for Lattimore. They knew he was injured and might not be available immediately. They're taking things one day at a time before they can potentially ramp things up. That's frustrating from a fan perspective, but it's the right call to make.
Lattimore was seen jogging on the sideline as preparations began for Washington's crunch clash versus the Cowboys this weekend at Northwest Stadium. Quinn revealed that they would see how things were on Thursday before deciding on the course of action. This is typically the session when intensity increases before the practice tempo diminishes on Friday.
CB Marshon Lattimore (hamstring) didn’t do much while we were out at practice.
— Sam Fortier (@Sam4TR) November 20, 2024
But he did have this one run: pic.twitter.com/pTqT4AbvxG
Commanders held Marshon Lattimore out to diminish chances of Week 12 debut
All eyes were on Washington's practice to see if the former first-round pick out of Ohio State would be involved. Quinn revealed earlier in the week that things had strongly trended up for Lattimore after the mini-bye week. As it turned out, he was officially a non-participant in practice.
Nicki Jhabvala from The Washington Post spotted Lattimore working alongside the Commanders' strength and conditioning team on the side field while his teammates went through more intense drills. Nothing has been completely ruled out, but this trend doesn't inspire confidence in the player's chances of being on the field in Week 12 versus a storied divisional rival.
Attention turns to Friday's session to see if Lattimore is involved at all. Anything would be a step in the right direction whether he plays or not. If the Commanders don't have 100 percent conviction in his ability to take on a heftier workload, they'll keep him out of the firing line.
This also increases the chances of Lattimore not returning to the fold until after the bye week. Washington has one game remaining before its much-needed rest period and the Tennessee Titans aren't exactly world-beaters. Giving the defensive back additional recovery time is only going to help his cause down the stretch.
Time will tell on that one…