Former Wide Receiver Cody Latimer Finds New Home as Star Tight End for Orlando
April 14, 2023 - XFL (XFL)
Orlando Guardians News Release
For his entire career, Cody Latimer had been a wide receiver.
A three-star wide receiver prospect at Jefferson High School in Dayton, Ohio. A two-year starting wide receiver for Indiana University. And six seasons in the NFL with the Denver Broncos and New York Giants as, yes, a wide receiver.
But when he set out to make his return to professional football as an XFL player, Latimer didn't come back as a wide receiver. He returned as a tight end.
The reason behind the change was simple.
"I was out of the NFL so I had like sat on the couch for three years," Latimer said. "I picked up a bunch of weight. I was always good at blocking but instead of having to chop off 30 pounds, I was like why not play tight end?"
Latimer's position change helped him revive the football career he once thought was over.
The Orlando Guardians tight end has emerged as one of the XFL's top offensive skill position players. Latimer enters Week 9 leading the league in receiving yards and ranking second in receptions.
He is far and away the league's top tight end and playing himself back into an NFL camp. Those in the Orlando organization are not surprised.
"People who've been around since camp have known that he shouldn't be here," Guardians tight end and long snapper Ryan Becker said. "He's one of those guys who just as soon as he got here, you kind of watched him run around a little bit and just like, oh man, this guy is definitely one who shouldn't be here. I'm not saying that in a bad way. He shouldn't be here in a good way."
The pass catching and route running skills have carried over from his time as a wide receiver. But it has been in his blocking where Latimer has made the biggest improvements in his game. He was a good blocking wide receiver. But blocking at the tight end position is very different.
There has also been an off-the-field transformation that has turned the 30-year-old Latimer into a better version of himself.
Latimer said he is a changed man from his past thanks to his sobriety. He said he has been sober for about a year and four months.
"It made me a better man. I'm more focused and more in tune with my family. I used to be angry all the time," Latimer said. "Now, I can communicate better. I talk to people, everything I do and say is real."
His teammates support that sentiment with Becker saying he was surprised to hear about Latimer's struggles in the past because it does not align with his current demeanor.
There are only six XFL teams that consistently utilize tight ends in their offense and Latimer has emerged as the top one in the league. Arlington's Sal Cannella - who has been a standout in his own right - is the only other tight end ranked among the top 19 pass catchers in the league.
Seattle Sea Dragons wide receiver Jahcour Pearson is the lone pass catcher to match up with Latimer's statistics through the first eight weeks of the year. Pearson - a shifty 5-foot-7 wideout - and the 6-foot-2 Latimer are quite a contrast but have been above the rest of the pack in the statistical leaderboard the past month.
Pearson and Latimer are top two in both receptions (Pearson leads 50 to 47), targets (Pearson, 70 to 61), receiving yards (Latimer, 558 to 513) and first downs (both have 27).
"Originally, there's high expectations for everybody in the room, but I think right now he's leading the league in all receiving yards and he's a tight end," Orlando tight ends coach Brett Johnson said last week. "I don't know if anybody could really expect that."
Latimer left the NFL after Washington released him in August 2020. He had been on the Commissioner's Exempt List following an arrest earlier that year.
It seemed like his NFL days were going to be past him. Latimer admitted he thought his career was done.
The XFL has given him a chance to play football again. He isn't looking past that for the time being.
"I haven't looked that far into it," Latimer said. "I don't know what's gonna happen after this season. I know at the end of the day, if nothing happens, I can hang my hat. I did everything I could and I'm just happy to be able to play ball again."
People around the Guardians believe he will get a chance in an NFL training camp later this year.
For one, the on-field skills are obviously still there and he is continuing to get better as a tight end. Plus, Becker and Johnson both say Latimer has been a great teammate and person in the locker room.
"You're excited to see him get another shot, which I'm confident he will," Becker said. "He'll be a success story."
Orlando plays Saturday at the Alamodome against the San Antonio Brahmas at 7 p.m. EDT on ESPN2.
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