Washington Commanders may already be looking to replace a struggling star CB
The calls for the Washington Commanders to replace Marshon Lattimore as one of the starting cornerbacks are getting louder by the week.
A Bust of a Trade?
In Week 7, the Dallas Cowboys attacked Lattimore for much of the game and came away with two penalties called against the Commanders' cornerback to go along with four completions against him for 71 yards. While he did have a pass defense and didn't give up a touchdown, it was his second-worst game of the year, at Green Bay in Week 2, being slightly worse, and for many, it has solidified that trading for him in the first place was a bust.
Eyeing the 2026 Draft
Moving up four spots in the 2026 NFL Draft order after losing to the Cowboys, Washington currently stands at No. 11 if the draft were to happen today, and at least one league media employee thinks general manager Adam Peters should have his eye on a cornerback to replace Lattimore then, if not sooner.
"Past second-round picks Trey Amos and Mike Sainristil will likely start at outside corner and in the slot, respectively, in 2026. The Commanders should still be scouting the cornerback position since Marshon Lattimore has a big cap number in 2026, the final year of his deal. Also, Noah Igbinoghene and Jonathan Jones are impending free agents," draft analyst Chad Reuter wrote for NFL.com in an update on the draft order and five biggest needs for each team.
Cornerback isn't the top need for the Commanders, according to Reuter. Instead, he has edge holding down that spot. Yet, he still ideates that a pass defender may be the way to go in round one.
So, who are some of the prospects Peters could be looking at?
Tennessee Volunteers cornerback Jermond McCoy is currently the highest ranked player in the group on Pro Football Focus' 2026 NFL Draft big board.
The junior had an 87 overall grade in 2024 with four interceptions while allowing just a 53.6 passer rating against. Thus far in 2025, McCoy hasn't played a game yet as he recovers from a torn ACL suffered while training back home in Texas over the winter.
By the Numbers
33 NFL cornerbacks have played 231 or more coverage snaps this season, and according to PFF, Lattimore is the lowest graded of them all. To make matters worse, Lattimore is also the third-most penalized of the group, one off the pace set by Deommodore Lenoir of the San Francisco 49ers and Andru Phillips of the New York Giants who both have one more penalty than the Washington defensive back.
The highest graded corner in the group of 33 from the Commanders is rookie Trey Amos (No. 12), who has a 66.3 overall grade through seven games, followed by Mike Sainristil and his 50.9 grade, ranking him No. 29.
1 Quiet Reason the Raiders' Offense Has Struggled This Season
The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has struggled this season for various reasons, mainly subpar play along the offensive line and at quarterback. However, the lack of playmakers at skill positions, for various reasons, have held the Raiders' offense back.
Raiders Rookies Must Improve
The Raiders invested a second-round pick into drafting Jack Bech, proving how much they believed in him before he ever put a Raiders jersey on. However, Bech must do his part and work through the growing pains only the Raiders' coaching staff knows about.
Bech and Dont'e Thornton were brought in to be two of those playmakers but have yet to make much of an impact. Bech's lack of playing time on an offense in desperate need of help at wide receiver speaks volumes about where Las Vegas' coaching staff believes he is developmentally.
“The more plays that we can log with the new guys, Jack [Bech] and Dont'e [Thornton Jr.], we can show them the things that they need to improve on and the things that they're not quite as sharp on. It helps them. And there's some pain in that too. There's some pain in there that we have to undergo. But it's how you do it,” Carroll said.
“By the time you get to the middle of the season, these guys should have things really cleaned up, and they should be ready to go and we can count on them and they can come through and not be error repeaters, you know? And that's what we're working hard at."
During the Bye Week, Raiders' Wide Receivers Coach Chris Beatty gave an update on the development of both of Las Vegas' wide receivers. If the Raiders can get Bech and Thornton up to speed quickly, it could alleviate some of the issues they are having on offense.
"Some ups and downs. We have got to be more consistent. Both of those guys are learning a lot. Theres good and bad in everything. First couple of games, Dont'e had an explosive play in every game," Beatty said.
"He has kind of fell back a little bit and some of the fundamentals, we have got to continue to build on. Same thing with Jack. They have done okay but there is a lot more out there. So, we will keep pushing them and getting the most out of them."
