Washington Redskins veteran receiver Cody Latimer was arrested on Saturday in Colorado, and charged with five counts, including second-degree assault and illegal use of a firearm after the Douglas County sheriff’s office responded to “a call of shots fired inside of an apartment.”
Three people were found on the scene, one with minor, non-gunshot-related injuries. Latimer was the only person taken into custody.
Just days after fans of the Redskins were on their high horse regarding the Quinton Dunbar situation in Seattle — acknowledging that Ron Rivera and the team made the right call in letting him go — this arrest will knock the team down a notch or two. Latimer was signed by the Redskins earlier this year and meant to be the veteran presence needed in the receiver room, but now the future is anything but clear.
There has been nothing to say that Washington is planning to cut ties with Latimer, but it wouldn’t be the most surprising development from this situation. If the Redskins did release Latimer, they would only be stuck with $137,500 of his salary in dead cap, according to Spotrac.
It also wouldn’t act as a detrimental hit to the roster, either. Though Latimer has several years of experience, and a Super Bowl ring to his name — he was part of the Denver Broncos team that won Super Bowl 50 against, ironically, Ron Rivera and the Carolina Panthers — he caught a total of 35 passes in four years with Denver, and double that in New York with the Giants. If you were to lift Latimer out of the roster, the receiving corps likely won’t skip a beat; they still have Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, Kelvin Harmon, Antonio Gandy-Golden, and Trey Quinn slotted to fill the depth chart.
While it’s unfortunate that anyone got arrested and is involved with legal issues, especially when connected to the Redskins, the potential loss of Latimer isn’t the most detrimental thing that could happen to Washington. In the end, if he doesn’t fit the culture that River is trying to build, it’s probably better to find out now than further down the road.
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