The Washington Commanders announced on Monday that they will release cornerback Marshon Lattimore before the NFL’s new league year begins on March 11. This decision, reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, allows Washington to create $18.5 million in additional salary cap space, boosting their total available funds to $67 million—the fifth-highest cap room in the league. The team is expected to leverage this flexibility to strengthen its roster during the upcoming free agency period, particularly focusing on the secondary.
Lattimore’s Career Trajectory and Injury Challenges
At 29 years old, Marshon Lattimore’s professional career has seen a significant decline from the promising start he displayed after being drafted in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Initially, he established himself as an elite cornerback, earning Pro Bowl honors in four of his first five seasons and receiving the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award. During his early years, he recorded 13 interceptions, including five in his rookie campaign.
However, recurring injuries have hampered Lattimore’s performance over the past four seasons. Since 2021, he has been unable to complete a full season due to various health setbacks. These include a lacerated kidney and broken ribs in 2022, an ankle injury in 2023, hamstring troubles in 2024, as well as a torn ACL in 2025. Most of these issues occurred after his midseason trade to Washington in 2024, causing him to miss large portions of the final regular season, although he did participate in all three of the Commanders’ playoff games that year.
Impact on Washington’s Defensive Backfield
Marshon Lattimore’s release leaves the Commanders with limited depth at cornerback. Currently, the team retains promising talent such as Mike Sainristil, their 2024 second-round pick, who has amassed six interceptions in his first two NFL seasons. Rookie Trey Amos, who joined in 2025, has shown potential but recently suffered a broken leg after only 10 games. The Commanders will likely need to pursue further reinforcements during free agency to solidify their defense.
Outlook for the Commanders After a Difficult Season
Following a disappointing 5-12 record last season, the Commanders aim to rebound in 2026 under the leadership of head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels, who earned AP Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2024. Daniels’ severe arm injury in November derailed the team’s momentum, leading to an eight-game losing streak from October through December. With added salary cap space resulting from Lattimore’s release, Washington plans to be aggressive in free agency to improve the roster and restore competitiveness.
Commanders have informed former Pro-Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore that they intend to release him before the new league year begins, a move that will save the team $18.5 million in salary cap space, per sources. pic.twitter.com/KNDe1botDA
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 2, 2026
