The New Orleans Saints will get a chance to take on one of their best picks from a historic 2017 draft class. Ryan Ramczyk, Alvin Kamara, and Marshon Lattimore headline that group. The final piece of that trio was traded before this year's deadline, to the Washington Commanders.
Now, he will get an opportunity to beat the team that selected him. Lattimore will also get the chance to play defense against a Saints backup quarterback. Jake Haener will get the start on Sunday.
When asked about his return to New Orleans, the former Saints cornerback was honest about his feelings regarding the matchup.
Lattimore on return vs. Saints
The former Pro Bowler is determined to prove himself against the Saints.
"They traded me away. I'm going back to show why they shouldn't have."
Lattimore plans to rub salt in the wound for New Orleans, since they moved on. That being said, it was a smart move.
Injuries have derailed Lattimore's availability in recent years. This NFC clash is the first time he's played since being dealt before the deadline. That's six games for Washington. Not to mention, he missed time for the Saints earlier this season.
Lattimore played in just seventeen games combined between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 season. Before 2022, the CB was had played in at least thirteen games in every season of his NFL career.
It remains to be seen how much Lattimore will play in his return, it sounds like Commanders HC Dan Quinn is confident that he can be on the field early and often in Week 15. He noted that Lattimore was a "full go" in Wednesday's practice.
Lattimore will start on the outside, but it remains to be seen if he's moved around on defense, follows the opposition's top wideout, or stays on one side of the field. Another interesting factor will be rookie Mike Sainristil's role once Lattimore is playing. Sainristil is better suited for nickel, but had been playing pretty well on the outside, recently. He'll likely be moved back inside, but Quinn and co. aren't giving anything away when it comes to that thought.
-- Evan Winter
No matter what - Lattimore is going to play with some extra fire against his former team on Sunday. We'll see if the Saints can overcome his play.
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