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The Washington Commanders have plans for struggling Pro Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore.
The Green Bay Packers had among the fiercest defensive units in the NFL for much of last year, though the team enters the offseason with meaningful deficiencies in the secondary and limited options to address them.
Absent a first-round pick in 2026 and 2027 via the trade with the Dallas Cowboys for Micah Parsons last August, and also without a true CB1, the Packers must look to free agency or the trade market to fill that void.
Bill Huber of SI suggested that Chicago Bears star Jaylon Johnson, coming off an injury-plagued campaign in 2025, could be a cut candidate in the Windy City — but that is probably wishful thinking, at best.
However, one former Pro Bowler already on the market is Marshon Lattimore, most recently of the Washington Commanders. Washington announced its decision to release Lattimore last week in a move to save $18.5 million, which means the soon-to-be 30-year-old is free to sign anywhere he pleases come the start of the new league year.
Lattimore’s play has dropped off over the past couple of seasons, but he should represent an affordable depth option for Green Bay.
“Lattimore was considered a potential trade target for the Packers in 2024, when the [New Orleans] Saints sent him to Washington,” Huber wrote. “A Pro Bowler in four of his first five seasons, Lattimore has been unable to stay on the field. The past four seasons, he has never played more than 10 games.”
“On the bright side, he gave up only a 54.5 percent catch rate last year, according to PFF,” Huber continued. “On the other hand, he was penalized nine times in nine games and is coming off a torn ACL sustained in November.”
Bears CB Nahshon Wright Arguably Top Option for Packers in Free Agency
GettyChicago Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright.
Lattimore is not a CB1 any longer, and is unlikely to return to that status. However, if the Packers are willing to take a calculated gamble, Bears cornerback Nahshon Wright offers a viable option.
Wright is a free agent next month after a Pro Bowl season that put the 27-year-old defender on the map and included 80 tackles, along with three tackles for loss, 11 passes breakups, five interceptions, two forced fumbles and a defensive touchdown.
After earning just over $1 million in 2025, Spotrac projects that Wright will command a new three-year deal worth roughly $50 million in total. Chicago likely can’t pay that, as the team looks to bolster its defensive line, both on the interior and in terms of improving a lackluster pass rush that finished near the bottom of the league in most meaningful statistics last season.
Wright poses a risk given the lack of production during his first four seasons. But in the league’s What have you done for me lately? culture, Wright has perhaps the best answer of any cornerback headed to free agency.
Chiefs Cornerback Kristian Fulton Possibility for Packers in Free Agency
GettyKansas City Chiefs cornerback Kristian Fulton.
Huber also mentioned Kristian Fulton of the Kansas City Chiefs as a potential target for Green Bay in March.
“Fulton played in eight games with only two starts for the Chiefs,” Huber noted. “He broke up six passes and allowed just 8-of-16 passing, according to PFF.”
However, Fulton has a history of below-average play and may not be the type of tackler new Packers defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon is looking for on the edge of the field.
“[Fulton] allowed a 100-plus passer rating in each of the previous three seasons, though, with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions,” Huber added. “He’d do nothing to improve the perimeter tackling.”
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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