ESPN Proposes a Jaguars Trade For Saints CB Marshon Lattimore

Could the Saints star find his way to Jacksonville this offseason?

Jun 13, 2023; New Orleans, LA, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) during / Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

At the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke made one thing clear: the cornerback room would be getting a makeover.

Baalke and the Jaguars stayed true to their word; out are 2023 starters Darious Williams and Tre Herndon and in are free agents Ronald Darby and Darnell Savage, the latter of whom could play a hybrid nickel/safety role.

The Jaguars also spent two draft picks on cornerbacks, taking Florida State's Jarrian Jones in the third round and Ole Miss' Deantre Prince in the fifth.

But the one thing the Jaguars haven't done thus far is take a true home-run swing at the position. Darby was signed to a reasonable two-year deal, while the Jaguars haven't spent a top-75 pick on the position since they drafted Tyson Campbell at No. 33 overall.

The Jaguars were widely projected to take a cornerback in this year's draft, but they passed on taking the first cornerback of the draft when they traded down from No. 17 to No. 23. By the time they picked at No. 23, only Quinyon Mitchell was off the board. The Jaguars opted again to pass on the cornerback position, taking wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

As a result, the Jaguars have a cornerback room filled with new faces but now major investment at the position. But while the offseason's days are winding down, the Jaguars still have plenty of time until Week 1 and even more time until the trade deadline to make a major swing at the position if they feel the need to.

What could one of those moves potentially look like? ESPN's Bill Barnwell recently took a look at which post-draft trades make the most sense before the season begins.

"The top landing spot for Lattimore certainly looks like Jacksonville, where former Saints assistant Ryan Nielsen is the defensive coordinator. The Jaguars didn't get great play at corner last season and then cut veteran Darious Williams. They need their corners to play well; they played man coverage at the third-highest rate of any team last season. One of the two teams that were in man-to-man defensive looks more often? The Falcons, where Nielsen was in charge of the defense in 2023," Barnwell said.

"To be fair, the Jaguars have attempted to solve their problems at cornerback already this offseason, but I'm not sure they've gotten all the way there. They've bought in bulk while attempting to upgrade at corner by signing veteran Ronald Darby and using third- and fifth-round picks on Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince," Barnwell continued.

"Adding Lattimore would be a much more significant upgrade. He has allowed a passer rating below 75.0 in each of the past two seasons while giving up just one touchdown. In a division in which the Texans and Titans have made major wide receiver investments this offseason, adding a veteran option across from Tyson Campbell makes sense for the Jags, who have extra picks in Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2025 draft after trading down with the Vikings last month. Sending a fourth-rounder to the Saints would clear up a financial and positional logjam for New Orleans and land an immediate plug-and-play starter at a position of need for Jacksonville."

Lattimore of course spent time with Nielsen during the coordinator's time in New Orleans, while Lattimore also played under defensive backs coach Kris Richard and cornerbacks coach Cory Robinson in New Orleans.

The Jaguars have the cap space to make this type of move, plus they have the draft compensation to match. A fourth round pick for Lattimore would be reasonable to deal since the Jaguars have nine picks in next year's draft, including two picks in the third and fourth rounds each.