Recent cornerback moves are proof Saints should not trade Marshon Lattimore

Poor returns on recent cornerback trades are proof the Saints shouldn’t deal Marshon Lattimore. It’s in their best interest to mend what’s broken:

NFL teams will tell you how they value a player by the contracts they hand out and what they’re willing to send in trades with one another. And while cornerback remains a premium position, players being swapped for draft picks are not bringing back very strong returns. Not even great ones like Jalen Ramsey. It means the New Orleans Saints shouldn’t expect a great haul of draft picks for trading Marshon Lattimore, either.

As noted by Nola.com’s Jeff Duncan, high-end corners like Ramsey, Carlton Davis, and Rasul Douglas have all been traded in the last 12 months. Here’s what those trades brought back:

  • Jalen Ramsey: Traded for a third-round pick and backup tight end
  • Carlton Davis: Traded with two sixth rounders for a third-round pick
  • Rasul Douglas: Traded with a fifth rounder for a third-round pick

That’s a sorry return for three players who are all healthier and/or more productive than Lattimore over the last two years. Lattimore has 12 passes broken up across 17 games with just a pair of interceptions, compared to Douglas (14 PBU’s and 5 interceptions in 16 games), Davis (21 PBU’s and 3 interceptions in 25 games), and Ramsey (23 PBU’s and 7 interceptions in 27 games).

Saints fans aren’t going to want to hear that, but it isn’t a diss at Lattimore. He’s played football at an incredibly high level even if his best work isn’t reflected on the stats sheet. He’s shut down DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins and Mike Evans in recent games. But when you look at the impact plays where he’s breaking up passes or taking the ball away, there are players with better numbers being traded for inconsequential picks around the league.

And that’s what the Saints would be hearing if they started shopping Lattimore around. A third rounder and a late-round pick is the rumored price for Kansas City Chiefs franchise-tagged corner L’Jarius Sneed, too, and he’s someone else with more pass deflections (25), interceptions (5), and games played (33) than Lattimore the last two years. Saints fans are reasonably wanting a first-round pick and more for Lattimore, but teams aren’t going to offer that.

Which is why this situation shouldn’t get to that point anyway. If this is the best trade offer the Saints could expect then it’s worth more to them to mend whatever’s broken. They’ve let it known that their frustrations with Lattimore’s lengthy recovery from injuries has boiled over. At the same time, it hasn’t reached a point where Lattimore has requested a trade or been granted permission to seek one. The Saints haven’t made calls to see who might be interested in cutting a deal. They’re open to it, which is why they restructured his contract to facilitate a trade.

But there’s reason to think everyone can be adults here, including Dennis Allen and Mickey Loomis. To his credit, Allen was complimentary of Lattimore when asked about him at the NFL Scouting Combine. Loomis was more guarded when Lattimore’s unique restructure came up in his end-of-year press conference. Those two men are more responsible for the team’s success than anyone else in the building. They need to get on the same page with their four-time Pro Bowler.

This relationship isn’t too far gone. Lattimore showed up on the sideline to support his teammates in the regular season finale, unlike other injured players like Michael Thomas, who had already accepted he wouldn’t be back for 2024. He hasn’t been critical of anyone on social media. He’s taken the high road. It’s clear they won’t get a trade package back that would justify trading Lattimore. It’s time they put this speculation to rest and insure Lattimore will be making plays for New Orleans, not some other team, in 2024 and beyond.

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Bills restructure CB Rasul Douglas’ contract for salary cap savings

#Bills restructure CB Rasul Douglas’ contract for salary cap savings:

Cornerback Rasul Douglas and the Buffalo Bills have agreed to a restructured contract. The move will save the team $2.5 million against the 2024 NFL salary cap.

The new deal came down amid a slew of roster moves the Bills made on Wednesday, most of which involved releasing players for salary cap purposes. Among those released included All-Pro defensive backs Jordan Poyer and Tre’Davious White.

In 2023, Buffalo acquired Douglas in a trade deadline deal with the Green Bay Packers. He played nine games with the Bills last season.

Douglas totaled four interceptions, eight passes defensed, 29 tackles and a sack for Buffalo.

Pro Football Focus graded Douglas one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks last year with an 82.2 overall mark.

Even with all the transactions the Bills put together, the team is still $7.6M over the 2024 NFL salary cap, according to Spotrac. More contract restructuring is likely on the way.

Bills Wire will provide updates on all 2024 offseason transactions.

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4 Bills players in line for contract extensions during the 2024 offseason

4 #Bills players in line for contract extensions during the 2024 offseason:

Again this offseason, Buffalo GM Brandon Beane and the front office have their work cut out for them.

This year, in particular, we might see offseason player personnel decisions ranging from last year’s supplemental short-term free agency additions to what could prove to be another asset packing and NFL Draft board movement masterclass to go up and get cost-controlled impact talent.

The Bills are among the teams with favorable Super Bowl odds ahead of their 2024 NFL season, this before they settle their roster via free agency and the draft.

While a number of players on the Buffalo roster are free agents, others may be up for contract restructuring or extensions.

Those extensions could be beneficial to players and the team alike, in that inking those new deals could also mean creating needed salary cap space for free-agency and draft timeframes.

With that here are four Bills players who could be in line for a contract extension this offseason:

3 causes for concern as the Bills face the Chiefs divisional round

3 causes for concern as the #Bills face the #Chiefs divisional round:

The Buffalo Bills are looking to stay in the win column as they host the Kansas City Chiefs for their second postseason game this year.

Buffalo (11-6) has entered the latter half of their 2023 season and each and every game will be important. However, Kansas City (11-6) will be no pushover despite seeding in the AFC.

Every NFL team has a strong roster. As they say, the players on the other sideline are getting paid too.

But in terms of facing the Chiefs this week, there are a few particular things that could be a problem for Buffalo.

Here are three causes for concern as the Bills face the Chiefs:

22 former Panthers on this year’s Divisional Round rosters

Here are 22 names from this weekend’s Divisional Round action that Panthers fans may recognize

While the Carolina Panthers are busy trying to find a new power duo, quite a few of their former players are right in the middle of playoff action.

Here are 22 ex-Panthers who are gearing up for this year’s Divisional Round games:

Bills vs. Chiefs: 7 things to watch for during divisional round

#Bills vs. #Chiefs: 7 things to watch for during divisional round:

The Buffalo Bills continue their playoff journey with a matchup at home against the Kansas City Chiefs at Highmark Stadium.

All week, topics and storylines have been discussed ahead of these two familiar AFC opponents facing off.

In the end, regardless of what is said by players, coaches, media outlets and fans, it always comes down to what unfolds on the field in the NFL.

And once the battle arrives, there will be a few particular things to keep in mind to look out for.

With that, are seven things to watch for during Sunday’s Bills (11-6) and Chiefs (11-6) AFC divisional round matchup:

Bills vs. Chiefs: 6 storylines to watch for during Divisional round

#Bills vs. #Chiefs: 6 storylines to watch for during Divisional round:

The Buffalo Bills will turn to the next page of their \postseason journey: A Divisional round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Bills (11-6) are fresh off their huge win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 31-17 fashion. Buffalo will hope to stay in their winning ways against Kansas City, however, the Chiefs (11-6) will be no pushover.

But before we even get to kickoff, there will be a lot of Bills-related discussions and conversations to be had throughout the coming days.

With that, here are six storylines to watch for during the lead up to Bills vs. Chiefs on Sunday:

3 keys to a Bills victory vs. the Steelers in the Wild-Card round

3 keys to a #Bills victory vs. the #Steelers in the Wild-Card round:

The Buffalo Bills kickoff their playoff journey against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Highmark Stadium in the NFL’s Wild-Card round.

Buffalo (11-6) and Pittsburgh (10-7) did not faceoff against each other during the regular season. However, the two foes are no strangers and some things in particular must be done in order for the home team to take the win.

Here are are three keys to the Bills beating the Steelers in the upcoming Wild Card:

Bills vs. Steelers: 7 storylines to watch for during Wild-Card week

#Bills vs. #Steelers: 7 storylines to watch for during Wild-Card week:

The Buffalo Bills will turn to the first page of their upcoming postseason journey: A Wild-Card matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Bills (11-6) are fresh off their huge win over the Miami Dolphins in a 21-14 fashion. Buffalo will hope to stay in their winning ways against Pittsburgh, however, the Steelers (10-7) will be no pushover.

But before we even get to kickoff, there will be a lot of Bills-related discussions and conversations to be had throughout the coming days.

With that, here are seven storylines to watch for during the lead up to Bills vs. Steelers on Sunday: