Heading into the 2025 NFL season, the Washington Commanders are one team many are going to be keeping a close eye on. As they attempt to follow up on their success last year, one key player has been named as their biggest X-factor.

Midway through last season, Washington upgraded their defensive personnel by trading for Marshon Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints. The former No. 11 pick has emerged as one of the top cornerbacks in the league, but the start to his Commanders’ tenure was rather underwhelming.

Due to a nagging hamstring injury, Lattimore found himself sidelined for a decent stretch following the trade. He appeared in two regular-season games and all of their playoff run, but it was clear that he wasn’t 100%. Nonetheless, Lattimore tried to provide whatever sort of boost he could for his new team.

Now with a full offseason to recoup physically, Lattimore can show Washington why they sought him out in the first place. As a four-time Pro Bowler, the people at PFF dubbed him the Commanders’ primary X-factor for this upcoming season.

Coming off an injury-ridden season last year, Lattimore is poised to turn things around in 2025. During mandatory minicamp last week, he opened up about how he’s in a much better place physically now that his body has had extended time to heal.

“I feel way better than last year, I feel explosive,” Lattimore told reporters, via ESPN. “Just the burst, getting out of my breaks. Dealing with a hamstring takes a lot out of you; it takes a long time to heal.”

Lattimore is a good choice for X-factors for the Commanders, as he has a chance to be a pivotal piece to their success. Now settled in Washington and fully healthy, he can emerge as a key piece in the secondary. Looking at the competition around them, the Commanders are going to need Lattimore to return to form in a big way.

The NFC East was already loaded with offensive talent and has only gotten deeper since the offseason. Heading into 2025, the Philadelphia Eagles (AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith) and Dallas Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens) each have a pair of dynamic and explosive receivers.

With the array of big-name receivers in their division, the Commanders need a defensive stopper at cornerback. Obviously, he won’t be able to contain these duos at once, but limiting just one of them drastically increases Washington’s chances of stealing wins against these teams.

Based on his comments during minicamp, Lattimore seems ready to be an X-factor for Washington as they attempt to remain in the hunt in the NFC.