Cornerback Marshon Lattimore will be donning a new number in 2025, and he's going back to his college roots.
Lattimore, who wore No. 23 in his first season with the Commanders in 2024, will be wearing the No. 2 jersey -- the same number he wore at Ohio State -- for his ninth NFL season.
The jersey number has sentimental value for Lattimore. It was the same number he wore playing at Glenville High School in Cleveland, Ohio, as a cornerback and wide receiver. He was one of six finalists for the U.S. Army Player of the Year award during his senior year, helping his team get a 14-2 record and advance to the OHSAA Division II state championship.
Lattimore was a four-star recruit and committed to play for the Buckeyes. Lattimore became one of the best cornerbacks in the country during the 2016 season and was widely considered a first-round pick. He ended the year with 41 tackles and four interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown, with nine pass breakups. He was named to an All-Big Ten selection at the end of the season.
Lattimore was acquired by the Commanders in a trade with the New Orleans Saints midway through the 2024 season to provide the secondary with premier talent. Lattimore spent most of his time with the Burgundy & Gold recovering from a hamstring injury but made appearances against his former team in Week 15 and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 16. He also started all three games of the Commanders' postseason run with 15 tackles and two pass breakups.
The team is confident that Lattimore will get back to being an elite cornerback with a full offseason of rest and more experience in their system.
"Anytime you come into a new team, and you're injured, it's really hard to integrate," general manager Adam Peters said after the season. "And plus, you're coming in at the end of the season, so at the same time you're rehabbing, you're learning a new defense, you're trying to meet new teammates. And so, it was a tough situation for him to come in. But what was cool was we saw him get better and we saw him get more acclimated not only to the defense, but to his teammates."
