Marshon

Lattimore

Lattimore did not practice all week due to a hamstring injury and is now officially out against Dallas. Rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry may see a bigger role with the Saints being cautious with Lattimore. Also inactive for the Saints are WR A.T. Perry, QB Spencer Rattler, DT Khalen Saunders, LB D’Marco Jackson, LB Jaylan Ford, and TE Dallin Holker. Rattler will be the team’s emergency third quarterback.

Rapoport noted that Lattimore is pushing to play in Week 2 against the Cowboys, but the season is long and the Saints want to have him at full strength for the entire year. Reading the tea leaves, it sounds like Lattimore, who has struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons, may be held out this week as a long-term precaution. Dak Prescott and the Dallas passing attack should keep rolling versus an undermanned Saints defense this week.

Lattimore didn’t practice at all this week, making him unlikely to take the field on Sunday. This is the latest in a long line of injuries for the veteran corner. Lattimore hasn’t played a full season since 2021, missing 17 games over the past two years. Tyrann Mathieu was cleared from the injury report while defensive linemen Bryan Bresee (illness) and Isaiah Foskey (back) were listed as questionable.

Lattimore dealt with a hip injury all of training camp but managed to play in Week 1 against the Panthers. He lands on the injury report again this week, with a hamstring injury now added to his designation. The 28-year-old continues to be the Saints’ top corner, but Kool-Aid McKinstry will need to step up if Lattimore misses time. Safety Tyrann Mathieu (heel) also missed practice, denting the Saints’ secondary to start the week.

Lattimore has been dealing with a hip injury since training camp and was limited in Wednesday’s practice. On Thursday, the veteran corner was upgraded to a full participant and should be good to go for Sunday’s opener against the Panthers. Lattimore, 28, appeared in 10 games last season due to an ankle injury and has played in just 17 games over the last two seasons. Despite the injuries, the veteran corner remains solid in pass coverage for a Saints defense that ranked 10th in passing yards allowed last season.

After rumors of a potential trade earlier this offseason, Lattimore is now expected to report to mandatory minicamp and prepare for his eighth season with the Saints. Head coach Dennis Allen said back in May that the team was “moving forward” with Lattimore, hinting that the two sides were set to enter the 2024 season together, but his return to team facilities all but confirms that. Lattimore has dealt with nagging injuries over the last two seasons and has been limited to just 17 games over that span as a result. Still a strong option in coverage, his pairing with rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry should make for a formidable secondary on a defense that ranked eighth in points per game (19.2) last season.

This presumably puts an end to any potential trade of Lattimore, which is something that had been loosely speculated throughout the offseason. The veteran corner had his contract restructured in early January and is coming off a second-straight season in which he dealt with nagging injuries. Lattimore has played in just 17 games over the last two seasons and will be 28 at the start of the season. He earned a 69.1 PFF coverage grade over 10 games last season and held opposing receivers under 50 yards in seven games. He remains a solid option in the secondary and now gets to be paired with rookie Kool-Aid McKinstry.

Restructuring season seems to come earlier every year in New Orleans. Per ESPN’s Field Yates, the team converted $13.8 million of Lattimore’s 2024 base salary into an option bonus. The move created just over $11 million in 2024 cap space. It also tacked on a void year to the end of Lattimore’s deal. The Saints are still projected to be $75 million over the cap next year, so this will be the first of many moves designed to get them back to cap compliant.

A high ankle sprain will cost Lattimore the next four weeks, at minimum. The quick decision to place the veteran cornerback on injured reserve lies in stark contrast to how the team handled an injury last season, after the decision was made to not place him on injured reserve resulted in the team carrying him as a game-day inactive for 10 weeks.

Lattimore’s absence will make the Saints’ secondary an easy target for the Falcons, though we all know that Arthur Smith has no intentions of throwing the ball this week or any other. Still, on the rare occasion that Desmond Ridder gets the toss the rock, he should be able to find Kyle Pitts or Drake London open.