It doesn’t sound like the New Orleans Saints plan on Marshon Lattimore playing against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, but never say never. And if it were up to Lattimore he’d be out there.
That’s what NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported overnight, saying that Lattimore is “pushing to play, but it’s a long season and him being healthy is paramount. He’ll workout this morning to see.”
The Saints traded up to pick Kool-Aid McKinstry in this year’s NFL draft because of Lattimore’s injury history. And then he pulled his hamstring last week against the Carolina Panthers after missing most of training camp with a hip flexor injury.
There aren’t many tougher assignments a rookie could ask for than being thrown into a game with CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and the rest of the Cowboys receiving corps, but a trial by fire would tell the coaches what they have in McKinstry.
And it’s worth remembering the other corners on the 53-man roster include a rising star in Paulson Adebo and Defensive Player of the Week snub Alontae Taylor, as well as preseason fan-favorite Rico Payton. They have quality depth at the position. If giving Lattimore another week to rest his injuries helps him endure the next 15 games, going without him in Dallas might be worth it. But we won’t know if he’s able to go for sure until he tests his leg in pregame warmups.
