The Washington Commanders made a splash move on Tuesday for veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore to stabilize Dan Quinn's secondary.
The Commanders coach said Wednesday that it's the perfect marriage with fit and need.
"I'd say you had me at hello," Quinn said, quoting Jerry Maguire. "This was easy, man. Acquire a player like Marshon's caliber, the toughness, the physicality. Whether it was this month, six months from now, this is a player that you want to be on your team. He stands for the right stuff. He has an attitude to battle, and we're really pumped to have him here."
With Jayden Daniels and the offense rolling through nine weeks, Washington didn't let the trade deadline pass without attempting to shore up a lagging defense.
When healthy, Lattimore provides a physical presence the Washington secondary lacked. In 2024, the corner has allowed just 0.7 yards per coverage snap, per Next Gen Stats.
"Experience, first," Lattimore said Wednesday on what he brings to D.C., per ESPN. "It's my eighth year in the league. And just a dog. I'm gonna go out there and do everything I can for the team to get the win."
Quinn didn't get into the specifics on how Washington would use the four-time Pro Bowler but indicated he'd be a potential travel corner rather than stationed to one side of the defense.
Shipping a third-round pick, a fourth-rounder and a sixth for Lattimore and a fifth-round selection signals to the league and fan base that Washington means business. General manager Adam Peters and Co. weren't going to sit and wait until the offseason to make a move.
"Our theme of our program is competition," Quinn said. "We're going to absolutely and relentlessly compete at everything. That's the chance to make our team better, make the group better, make you better. Like Adam and his group, myself and the coaches, we're going to dig in hard to do that. What does Marshon mean? He's a competitor. We're adding a real dog-ass competitor to a group of guys who like to fight and like to battle. To me, that's extension of competing, to say we're not going to miss a moment to add a competitor onto our team."
