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Commanders Aim To Retain Marshon Lattimore Beyond 2024

December 6th, 2024 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Marshon Lattimore was known to be a trade candidate well before the 2024 season began, and to little surprise he was dealt before last month’s deadline. The Pro Bowl corner is set to make his debut with his new team (in his former home stadium) in Week 15, but he is not seen strictly as a rental.

Many players moved at or around the trade deadline are pending free agents, but Lattimore’s contract runs through 2026. He is due $36.5MM between the 2025 and ’26 seasons, but none of his base salaries for those years are guaranteed. A restructure should be expected this coming offseason as a result, but the Commanders fully intend to keep Lattimore in place for years to come.

“We wanted to get him for not only this year but as long as we can, really,” general manager Adam Peters said when discussing the Lattimore trade (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post). “He’s got two more years on his contract and the way he’s played, we want him to be a Commander for a long time.”

A shortlist of serious suitors emerged in the build-up to the trade deadline, and the Commanders ultimately outbid the Ravens, Chiefs and Chargers to acquire Lattimore. The 28-year-old served as an impact starter during his time in New Orleans, but injuries have been an issue in recent years. He is currently on pace to carry cap hits of $18MM and $18.5MM over the next two years, and lowering those figures will be a goal for Washington even if Lattimore lives up to expectations during his initial Commanders games. The team – unlike those who also engaged in a trade pursuit – does not have a veteran quarterback attached to a monster contract, something which will make it easier to keep Lattimore in place beyond 2024.

The secondary has been an issue in past years for Washington, but the team currently ranks fifth against the pass (a stark contrast to this season’s struggles against the run). The Commanders recently moved on from former first-rounder Emmanuel Forbes, and Lattimore (who has racked up 15 interceptions in his career and recorded double-digit pass deflections in each of his first five seasons) could emerge as a key figure in Washington’s CB room now and into the future. If Peters is able to meet his goal of working out a long-term arrangement, Lattimore should be expected to remain in the nation’s capital for several years.

Marshon Lattimore Expected To Make Commanders Debut In Week 15

December 3rd, 2024 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Commanders have not seen anything from the Marshon Lattimore trade yet, having played four games without the decorated cornerback since acquiring him at the deadline. It does not look like Washington’s Lattimore-less game streak will reach five.

Heading into a Week 14 bye, the Commanders are expected to have Lattimore available when they return, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter said during a Pat McAfee Show appearance. The Commanders travel to New Orleans in Week 15, certainly representing the most interesting place Lattimore could debut for the NFC East team.

Lattimore has been down with a hamstring injury for five weeks, missing what would have been his final Saints game due to the issue. This did not stop a heated trade market from forming. The Ravens sent the Commanders an offer featuring a third-round pick, while the Chiefs discussed the eighth-year defender with the Saints as well. The Chargers were in on Lattimore, and it took additional fourth- and sixth-round picks for Washington to pry him from New Orleans.

While the Saints are up on the scorecards early in this trade, Lattimore will have his say soon. The Commanders have seen their run defense fare worse than their pass defense this season; the team ranks ranks fifth against the pass through 13 games. The 8-5 squad also waived Emmanuel Forbes on Saturday, with Schefter adding that move likely came about because of an expectation Lattimore was closing in on a return. The Rams have since claimed Forbes, taking the Commanders off the hook for more than $5MM in guaranteed base salary from now through 2026.

This Lattimore injury absence is notable, however, as the Saints saw a few nagging maladies that kept the four-time Pro Bowler off the field. As Lattimore fell out of favor with the Saints — to the point New Orleans set a non-QB dead money record by moving him at the deadline — a report indicating the team previously took issue with the corner’s overly lengthy (in the organization’s view) recoveries from past injuries. Lattimore went down with an ankle injury and missed the Saints’ final seven games last season. He missed 10 due to a lacerated kidney in 2022. Counting a Week 2 absence, the Ohio State alum has now missed six this season. Lattimore will count $31.7MM on the Saints’ 2025 cap.

The Commanders have continued to use Benjamin St-Juste as a starter, with rookie Mike Sainristil and Noah Igbinoghene seeing the second- and third-most snaps at the position. Pro Football Focus ranks the second-round pick 36th among all corners this season while slotting the two veterans outside the top 100.

Lattimore will soon check in as a hopeful fixer of sorts for Washington, though it would not completely surprise to see the boundary corner eased into action after a lengthy rehab process. Lattimore’s Saints-designed contract runs through the 2026 season, making this upcoming stretch an early gauge of the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s form for the team.

Commanders Hire Mark Clouse As Team President

December 3rd, 2024 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jason Wright is on his way out as Commanders president, with word coming this offseason the veteran exec would make this season his last with the team. The franchise has a successor lined up.

Mark Clouse will take over in the role, the organization announced Tuesday. Like Wright, Clouse will oversee the business side of the Commanders. GM Adam Peters will still have control over the football side, as he will continue to report to owner Josh Harris.

A report this offseason indicated Wright would leave the team at season’s end, but he vacated the president role and has been working as a senior advisor. Clouse is an outside hire, coming over from the The Campbell’s Company. He had previously worked as CEO for Campbell’s and will be set to take over with the Commanders in late January. In addition to running Campbell’s, Clouse was in charge of a company portfolio that included Goldfish, Rao’s and Pepperidge Farm. Moving to overseeing an NFL team will, then, make for an interesting transition.

Wright had been in place as Washington’s team president from August 2020 until his offseason role change. Dan Snyder had hired the young exec, making him the NFL’s first Black exec to work as a team president. Remaining in place while the team changed owners, Wright moved out of the picture less than a year into Harris’ tenure. Wright interviewed for the Packers’ president role, a wide-ranging race Ed Policy eventually won.

Unlike Green Bay’s presidential gig, Washington’s does not feature football-side work. Clouse’s resume, which also includes a 15-year stint with Kraft Foods, would not support such a role. But he will join Peters as the other organizational pillar to close out Harris’ first full year at the helm.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/2/24

December 2nd, 2024 at 6:45pm CST by Ely Allen

Monday’s minor transactions:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

The Falcons get the second-round rookie, Orhorhoro, back from injured reserve for the closing stretch of the season. The Clemson-product has seen minimal time in his first NFL season, rotating in for only four games so far, but Atlanta will take whatever help it can get on a defense that is dead-last in the league with only 15 sacks on the year.

Zappe was signed off the Patriots’ practice squad following Deshaun Watson‘s placement on IR. Jameis Winston has performed admirably in relief of Watson, and the team must have confidence in second-year backup Dorian Thompson-Robinson behind him.

Shenault continues to struggle to find a place on an NFL offense, but he did carve out a role as a strong kick returner in Seattle this year. That added ability may help him find another roster spot soon.

Gill is the second punter the Buccaneers have waived this year. Gill’s yards per punt average of 43.3 currently ranks for 33rd in the NFL.

Seymour has served the league’s six-game suspension for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy and is now able to return to the field.

Rams Claim CB Emmanuel Forbes

December 2nd, 2024 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite being tied to a mid-first-round contract, Emmanuel Forbes will not clear waivers. The Rams are ensuring the 2023 first-round cornerback will remain tied to that deal.

Forbes is heading to Los Angeles via waiver claim, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Commanders’ Adam Peters-run regime moved on despite the 2023 No. 16 overall pick being signed through 2026. The Rams are bringing that contract onto their payroll, illustrating considerable interest on the NFC West team’s part. The Rams waived rookie UDFA cornerback Charles Woods to make room on the roster.

As significant changes occurred in Washington this offseason, Forbes was unable to secure steady playing time. This reached the point of the Commanders attempting to gauge his trade value before the deadline last month. The team ended up cutting bait, resulting in dead money this year and next. The Commanders are on the hook for all of Forbes’ prorated signing bonus ($8.2MM); that will leave a $4.1MM dead money hit in 2025 as well.

As our Ely Allen pointed out, Forbes is the only cornerback to be drafted after weighing in under 170 pounds at the Combine since 2000. Elite ball production led to the Commanders preferring the 166-pound defender to Christian Gonzalez, who went off the board one spot later to the Patriots. Forbes intercepted six passes in 2022 at Mississippi State, returning three for touchdowns. For his career, the 6-foot cover man intercepted a staggering 14 passes and totaled six pick-sixes. That enticed the Commanders to dive in, but neither last year’s nor this year’s coaching staffs liked enough about his game to deploy him as a full-time starter regularly.

Forbes has started seven games as a pro; six came last season. After allowing a 60.7% completion rate as the closest defender last season, Forbes ceded a whopping 75% number in limited duty this year. The Rams will still give him a second chance, pulling the trigger on a waiver claim to do so. They will be on the hook for guaranteed base salaries ($2.15MM in 2025, $2.85MM in 2026), which the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala adds will save the Commanders $5.3MM, but the NFC East team is still responsible for the bulk of the contract. On the Rams’ 2025 payroll, Forbes will only carry a $2.15MM cap number.

The Forbes pick came during one of the many Sean McVay-era first rounds in which the Rams did not hold a selection. This transaction will give the team a look at a player it clearly liked coming into the 2023 draft. The Rams have seen some issues form at corner, having already benched and traded Tre’Davious White this season. Pro Football Focus has no Rams CBs ranked inside the top 65 at the position; the team has given its most CB snaps to Cobie Durant and Darious Williams. PFF slots Durant and Ahkello Witherspoon 70th among corners this season, tabbing Williams — re-signed after two years in Jacksonville — 73rd.

Forbes, 23, will join an L.A. secondary that acquired more experience this year via the Williams and Witherspoon re-signings. The team also has a rookie UDFA (Josh Wallace) joining Quentin Lake in rounding out its CB group. Forbes will attempt to mix in for the 6-6 team.

Commanders Cut Former First-Round CB Emmanuel Forbes, Place RB Austin Ekeler On IR

November 30th, 2024 at 4:39pm CST by Ely Allen

The Commanders opened up two roster spots today with a pair of surprising transactions. Washington continued its purging of the previous regime’s players by waiving former first-round draft pick Emmanuel Forbes in the middle of his second year. The other roster spot was opened by veteran running back Austin Ekeler being placed on injured reserve.

In 2023, the Commanders took chance on Forbes, drafting him out of Mississippi State over Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez despite a near-league-consensus that Gonzalez was the better prospect and despite major concerns over Forbes’ size. Since 2000, Forbes is the only cornerback to be drafted after weighing in under 170 pounds at the NFL scouting combine. Still, his senior season for the Bulldogs saw him pick off six passes (returning three for touchdowns) and defend 10 other passes. He finished his collegiate career with 14 interceptions (six returned for touchdowns) and 21 passes defensed.

His ability to play the ball continued in his rookie season, in which he collected his first interception and 10 passes defensed. Forbes sophomore season has seen him struggle with injury throughout the year, missing six games over the first 12 of the season and has seen him fall behind multiple later-round prospects on the depth chart. As a result, Washington attempted to gauge trade interest in their former first-rounder, but failing to find a suitor, they’ve opted to waive him.

Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post notes the continued trend of Commanders drafted by the team’s former regime parting ways in some way or another. Since 2019, every first-round selection — Montez Sweat, Dwayne Haskins, Chase Young, Jamin Davis, Jahan Dotson, and Forbes — has either been cut or traded.

Ekeler is yet another example this year of a player being sent to IR with a concussion designation. The 29-year-old did not practice at all this week because of the head injury and has apparently failed to make it through the league’s concussion protocol and will require a multi-week recovery period. The veteran has not quite produced up to his numbers in Los Angeles, but he’s the team’s third-leading rusher (behind quarterback Jayden Daniels and Brian Robinson) and third on the team in receptions. He trails only wide receiver Terry McLaurin in total yards from scrimmage. Ekeler’s total production in both phases of the offense won’t be easily replaced, but players like Jeremy McNichols and Olamide Zaccheaus will likely try to fill those roles.

The Commanders did not officially fill either of the vacated roster spots today, but they did announce two temporary standard gameday practice squad elevations for tomorrow. Defensive tackle Carl Davis and kicker Zane Gonzalez will be called up for tomorrow’s game. With Austin Seibert getting placed on IR earlier this week, Gonzalez will serve as the team’s kicker for the third time this year.

2024 NFL Dead Money, By Team

November 27th, 2024 at 12:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants making the decision to waive Daniel Jones, rather than keep him around ahead of a potential 2025 post-June 1 cut designation, changed their dead money outlook for this year and next. Here is how their new total fits in with the rest of the teams’ numbers for dead money — cap space allocated to players no longer on the roster — entering the final third of the regular season. Numbers courtesy of OverTheCap.

  1. Denver Broncos: $85.21MM
  2. New York Giants: $79.57MM
  3. Minnesota Vikings: $69.83MM
  4. Buffalo Bills: $68.47MM
  5. Carolina Panthers: $68.28MM
  6. Green Bay Packers: $65.53MM
  7. Tennessee Titans: $62.89MM
  8. Philadelphia Eagles: $61.95MM
  9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $60.64MM
  10. New Orleans Saints: $59.44MM
  11. New York Jets: $59.24MM
  12. Los Angeles Chargers: $58.62MM
  13. New England Patriots: $53.37MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $52.28MM
  15. Seattle Seahawks: $52MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars: $51.2MM
  17. Las Vegas Raiders: $49.37MM
  18. Washington Commanders: $42.81MM
  19. Houston Texans: $39.28MM
  20. Cleveland Browns: $38.79MM
  21. Los Angeles Rams: $34.63MM
  22. Detroit Lions: $33.71MM
  23. Pittsburgh Steelers: $30.18MM
  24. Chicago Bears: $29.65MM
  25. Arizona Cardinals: $29.35MM
  26. San Francisco 49ers: $26.91MM
  27. Dallas Cowboys: $26.79MM
  28. Baltimore Ravens: $21.35MM
  29. Kansas City Chiefs: $12.65MM
  30. Indianapolis Colts: $11.8MM
  31. Atlanta Falcons: $11.55MM
  32. Cincinnati Bengals: $9.11MM

The Jones release moved more than $13MM of dead cap onto the Giants’ 2024 payroll. More significantly, the Giants granting Jones an early exit — after a contract-driven benching — will prevent the team from designating him a post-June 1 cut next year. The Giants will take on $22.2MM in dead money in 2025, rather than being able to split that bill over two offseasons. The team also took on more than $10MM in dead money this year due to the 2023 Leonard Williams trade.

This year’s most egregious dead money offender has been known for months. The Broncos’ contract-driven Russell Wilson benching last year preceded a historic release, which saddled the team with more than $83MM in total dead money. A small cap credit is set to come in 2025 (via Wilson’s veteran-minimum Pittsburgh pact), but for this year, $53MM in dead cap hit Denver’s payroll as a result of the the quarterback’s release.

The Broncos more than doubled the previous single-player dead money record, which the Falcons held ($40.5MM) for trading Matt Ryan), and they will be on the hook for the final $30MM-plus in 2025. Beyond Wilson, no other ex-Bronco counts more than $7.5MM in dead money. In terms of total dead cap, however, the Broncos barely check in north of the Buccaneers and Rams’ 2023 totals. Denver is trying to follow those teams’ lead in rallying back to make the playoffs despite nearly a third of its 2024 payroll tied up in dead cap.

Twenty-two players represent dead money for the Saints, who have seen their total updated since the Marshon Lattimore trade. Rather than restructure-crazed GM Mickey Loomis using the Lattimore contract once again to create cap space next year, the Saints will take on the highest non-QB dead money hit in NFL history. Lattimore counts $14MM in that category this year before the contract shifts to a whopping $31.66MM in dead cap on New Orleans’ 2025 payroll. Considering the Saints are again in their own sector for cap trouble next year ($62MM-plus over), the Lattimore trade will create some issues as the team attempts to rebound post-Dennis Allen.

Two 2023 restructures ballooned the Vikings’ figure toward $70MM. Void years on Kirk Cousins and Danielle Hunter‘s deals combined for more than $43MM in dead money. Minnesota also ate nearly $7MM from the void years on Marcus Davenport‘s one-year contract, while the release of 2022 first-rounder Lewis Cine (currently on the Bills’ practice squad) accounted for more than $5MM.

Free from the Tom Brady dead money that comprised a chunk of their 2023 cap, the Bucs still have eight-figure hits from the Carlton Davis trade and Mike Evans‘ previous contract voiding not long before the sides agreed on a new deal. Elsewhere in the NFC South, three of the players given multiyear deals in 2023 — Vonn Bell, Hayden Hurst, Bradley Bozeman — being moved off the roster in GM Dan Morgan‘s first offseason represent nearly half of Carolina’s dead cap.

 

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/24

November 26th, 2024 at 7:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: TE McCallan Castles

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Julius Welschof

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: DT Viliami Fehoko Jr.
  • Released: G Marquis Hayes

The Chiefs are set to roll with their third kicker of the season. With Harrison Butker on IR and Spencer Shrader sidelined with a hamstring injury, Kansas City had to add yet another leg to the roster. The team opted for Matthew Wright, who already has experience kicking with the franchise. Wright filled in for Butker twice in 2022, connecting on three field goals and eight extra points.

Wright has only got one extended look as a starter (when he got into 14 games with the Jaguars in 2021), but he’s still managed to get into at least one game per season over the past few years. Wright has already made an appearance in 2024, when he was responsible for 12 points in the 49ers win over the Seahawks last month.

Commanders Place K Austin Seibert On IR

November 26th, 2024 at 3:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Austin Seibert returned from a two-game absence in Week 12, but the veteran kicker played a key role in the Commanders’ upset loss to the Cowboys. Two days later, he is heading to IR.

Washington placed Seibert on IR on Tuesday, shutting him down for at least four games. With the Commanders’ bye coming in Week 14, Seibert cannot return until the regular-season finale. A right hip injury had sidelined Seibert in Weeks 11 and 12, but he returned to face Dallas — a game that featured an exciting conclusion but one that involved a Seibert gaffe. It is not the hip matter that will send him to IR, via the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala; instead, a groin malady will do so.

A bad snap preceded Seibert missing what would have been a game-tying extra point, coming just after a miraculous Jayden Daniels-to-Terry McLaurin score revived the Commanders’ effort. The Commanders have another kicker option rostered, with Zane Gonzalez still on their practice squad. Washington moved running back Chris Rodriguez to its active roster, quickly filling Seibert’s spot.

The Commanders added Gonzalez, who had not kicked in a game since 2021, earlier this month. Gonzalez became the third kicker for the team this season, but the 7-5 squad has gone through several since the league year began. Moving on from Joey Slye in March, the Commanders signed Brandon McManus. Allegations of sexual assault led to McManus being dropped in June, and Ramiz Ahmed being signed. Ahmed entered training camp as Washington’s only kicker, but the team claimed Riley Patterson off waivers. Patterson struggling in the preseason led to him being cut and a Cade York acquisition via trade (from the Browns) transpiring. Finally, the Seibert addition came after York fared poorly in the opener.

A sixth-year vet, Seibert is 27-for-30 on field goals. He missed one from beyond 50 yards Sunday, before the PAT miss. For the season, Seibert is 22-for-24 on PATs. Gonzalez made 3 of 3 field goals and all four extra points he tried in relief of Seibert. If the Commanders are to make the playoffs, they will have a decision to make at kicker due to Seibert’s mandated absence.

Updated 2025 NFL Draft Order

November 25th, 2024 at 10:10pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Week 12 slate of games is in the books. For many teams, attention is increasingly turning toward the offseason with a playoff berth no longer in reach.

Plenty of time remains for the draft order to change over the coming months, and it will be interesting to see which teams wind up in position to add at the quarterback spot in particular. The crop of prospects for 2025 is not held in high regard after Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, meaning the demand for potential franchise passers is set to outweigh demand at the top of the board. Of course, players like Sanders’ Colorado teammate Travis Hunter will be among the ones worth watching closely as well.

The Jets have moved on from head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas, inviting questions about a reset under center as well. Aaron Rodgers wants to play in 2025, but it remains to be seen how his relationship with the organization will take shape down the stretch and if a new regime will prefer to move on at the position. The Giants, meanwhile, confirmed they will be in the market for a new signal-caller with Daniel Jones no longer in the fold.

Teams such as the Raiders have long been mentioned as a team to watch regarding a rookie QB pursuit. Jayden Daniels was a target for head coach Antonio Pierce last spring, and it would come as no surprise if Vegas were to make a push for a long-term starting option this time around. Other franchises not on track to qualify for the playoffs figure to give the Raiders plenty of competition in that department, though.

For non-playoff teams, the draft order will be determined by the inverted 2024 standings — plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule — with playoff squads being slotted by their postseason outcome and regular-season record. Here is an updated look at the current draft order:

  1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 2-9
  2. New York Giants: 2-9
  3. Las Vegas Raiders: 2-9
  4. New England Patriots: 3-9
  5. Carolina Panthers: 3-8
  6. Tennessee Titans: 3-8
  7. New York Jets: 3-8
  8. Cleveland Browns: 3-8
  9. New Orleans Saints: 4-7
  10. Cincinnati Bengals: 4-7
  11. Dallas Cowboys: 4-7
  12. Chicago Bears: 4-7
  13. Indianapolis Colts: 5-7
  14. Miami Dolphins: 5-6
  15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 5-6
  16. Los Angeles Rams: 5-6
  17. San Francisco 49ers: 5-6
  18. Arizona Cardinals: 6-5
  19. Atlanta Falcons: 6-5
  20. Seattle Seahawks: 6-5
  21. Washington Commanders: 7-5
  22. Houston Texans: 7-5
  23. Denver Broncos: 7-5
  24. Los Angeles Chargers: 7-4
  25. Baltimore Ravens: 8-4
  26. Pittsburgh Steelers: 8-3
  27. Green Bay Packers: 8-3
  28. Minnesota Vikings: 9-2
  29. Philadelphia Eagles: 9-2
  30. Buffalo Bills: 9-2
  31. Kansas City Chiefs: 10-1
  32. Detroit Lions: 10-1
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