He's playing.
Cornerback Marshon Lattimore will make his debut, and start, in the Washington Commanders' Week 15 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, head coach Dan Quinn confirmed in his Friday press conference.
After spending the last month recovering from a hamstring injury and learning the Commanders' defense, Washington's coaching staff is satisfied with the progress Lattimore has made and is ready to add him to a secondary that ranks fifth in passing yards allowed this season.
"We're just pumped to have him back," Quinn said.
Lattimore was a full participant in practice throughout the week, but Quinn said the decision to play Lattimore was the culmination of all the weeks that the cornerback has put in to get healthy and contribute. The team kept him out of practice until the week of its matchup with the Tennessee Titans in Week 13, and even then, he only went through individual drills.
All the while, Lattimore has spent extra time learning Washington's scheme and impressed his coaches with how much he has retained, so much so that defensive coordinator Joe Whitt jr. called it out during his Thursday press conference and adding that the cornerback is further ahead of where he would be if he had been able to play as soon as he was traded away from the Saints on Nov. 5.
Now that Lattimore is ready to go, Quinn is excited to get him involved and see how he can change Washington's defense.
"He's put in the work over the last few weeks," Quinn said. "Now it's time to fully bring him into the Commanders scene."
The Commanders knew adding a player like Lattimore -- a four-time Pro Bowler and 2017 Defensive Rookie of the Year -- would lift their defense, and they finally get to see what that looks like. They expect he will affect nearly every position on the field, from the pass rush to the other defensive backs, because he can hold his own against No. 1 receivers. Now, players like Benjamin St-Juste, Mike Sainristil, Jeremy Chinn and Quan Martin can focus on other parts of the field; and the pass rush will have more time to get to opposing quarterbacks.
Lattimore said after practice that he is feeling good and ready to go after not being able to play since Week 8, when he was with the Saints, against the Los Angeles Chargers. Lattimore has dealt with injuries in the past, so he knows how to handle himself when he needs to miss time. It involves plenty of patience and studying to stay sharp while he's out.
"I was just taking it one week at a time, one day at a time," Lattimore said. "Whenever I felt good enought to play, that's when I was going to play."
And yes, playing against his former team does give him a little extra motivation this weekend.
"I want to be if not the best, one of the best on the field," Lattimore said. "I just want to help my team win. That's what I'm going into the game thinking, being the best I can be, and try to be the best on the field so we can win."
Lattimore feels like he has a firm grasp of the system, but he also knows that it will still take actual game reps to develop a better knowledge of the calls and what the team expects of him. He'll need to occasionally rely on his new teammates for help in that regard, and he knows he can trust them to put him in the right spot.
"They know what's going on, so they know to communicate with me," Lattimore said. "I'm new to the team, so certain calls, I'm not gonna know off the bat. They're gonna have to tell me, and they know that."
As for what he wants to show his new teammates, Lattimore has just one thing in mind: he's ready.'
"I just want to be the best on the field," Lattimore said. "I want everybody to know that."
Wide receiver Jamison Crowder (calf), kicker Zane Gonzalez (left foot) and defensive tackle Daron Payne (back) will be questionable for Sunday's game. Noah Brown, who missed all week with a kidney injury, is the only player who has been ruled out.
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