Washington Commanders win race for Marshon Lattimore in huge trade with the New Orleans Saints

The Washington Commanders are acquiring cornerback Marshon Lattimore in a deal with the New Orleans Saints ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

Washington is sending third, fourth and sixth-round picks to New Orleans and getting a fifth back along with Lattimore.

Lattimore, 28, provides an instant upgrade on defense for the Commanders, who are off to a surprising 7-2 start to the season and became deadline buyers as a result of unexpected playoff aspirations.

He should start alongside Benjamin St-Juste and rookie Mike Sainristil at cornerback in a secondary that also includes impressive safeties Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin.

Trading Lattimore is the latest shakeup for the Saints after firing coach Dennis Allen following a seventh consecutive loss that dropped them to 2-7. 

The 2017 AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and four-time Pro Bowl selection had been dogged by hamstring injuries that caused him to miss games and was the subject of trade rumors for quite some time.

Lattimore has not allowed a touchdown to be scored on him in coverage since 2021, a strength that makes up for having just two interceptions over that time.

His restructured contract also made him a low-cost addition for Washington.

First-year general manager Adam Peters also did not have to give up many assets the organization did not already have when he was hired in January.

Peters got a third-round pick from Philadelphia in the August trade that sent receiver Jahan Dotson to the Eagles, and the sixth going to the Saints is their own from acquiring defensive tackle John Ridgeway from the Commanders just before the start of the season.