Another option may have been presented to the Pittsburgh Steelers as they try to address their cornerback situation for the 2024 season.
The team needs somebody that can play alongside Joey Porter Jr. during the upcoming and they have been linked with plenty of big names at the position that they could pursue this offseason.
Now there’s a new name out there at the position.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, several teams around the NFL believe that the New Orleans Saints could trade Marshon Lattimore.
Lattimore is a talented corner that could interest the Steelers in their search for a new corner.
Steelers Nation’s Parker Abate thinks Lattimore should be a trade target for the Steelers now that he is believed to be available.
Why Lattimore is Available
Just a couple of years ago, Lattimore was considered one of the best corners in the NFL.
He had made the Pro Bowl in four of his first five seasons in the league and had defended 19 passes in 16 games in that fifth season.
The last two seasons haven’t been quite as great for Lattimore. Since signing a huge contract extension with the Saints, the star corner has struggled to stay on the field.
In 2022, he suffered a lacerated kidney in Week 5 that kept him out for most of the rest of the season. He was limited to just 7 games that year.
The injury situation didn’t get much better in 2023. He suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 10 that kept him out for the rest of the year.
Now the Saints find themselves with some difficult decisions to make during the 2024 offseason.
The team has one of the worst cap situations in the league as one of only seven teams that is currently over the cap.
Unlike many other teams navigating their cap situation right now, the Saints don’t have a lot of cuttable contracts that can help them out.
That will likely leave them needing to trade one of their bigger names to free up space. Alvin Kamara is a name that has already come up, but his deal becomes cuttable after the 2024 season, which could make Lattimore a more appealing trade piece.
After missing 17 games in the past two seasons, the Saints might feel like it’s time to move on from the player they selected 11th overall in the 2017 draft.
If that happens, it would be a big opportunity for the Steelers.
A Great Fit for the Steelers
It would be difficult for the Steelers to do much better than Lattimore in their search for a starting corner this offseason.
He hasn’t allowed a completion percentage higher than 60% when targeted since his rookie season.
Lattimore has kept his yards per target allowed to 6.5 or less in each of the last two seasons and has also brought his yards per completion below his career average in those years.
He would also provide the speed that the Steelers’ secondary lacks. He ran the 40 in 4.36 seconds before he was drafted.
He’ll only be 28 during the 2024 season, so he should still have a few seasons left in his prime.
Any injury concerns because of the time he’s missed over the last two seasons could also be overblown as one of his major injuries was the lacerated kidney rather than a muscular or bone injury.
His contract will also likely be less costly for the Steelers than acquiring other big names like L’Jarius Sneed or Jaylon Johnson would be.
If the Steelers can get a good trade price then landing Lattimore would be a great move for them and would free them up to use their draft picks to fill other big needs on their roster.
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