One thing that helped push former head coach Ron Rivera out the door with the Washington Commanders came in the form of drafting Emmanuel Forbes in last year’s first round. Rivera tried to hang on to the idea of Forbes becoming a standout, even late in the 2023 season. But Forbes turned into a bust, even to the point of getting benched, and he heads into 2024 as the Commanders’ player until the most pressure this season.
Forbes will be under the gun in the nation’s capital because he enters the year as one of the team’s starting cornerbacks. On the other side is Benjamin ?St. Juste. In safety positions are Jeremy Chinn and Darrick Forrest. There’s not a single player good enough to score on Pro Football Focus rankings heading into 2024. In other words, Forbes has no help to cover up his shortcomings. Sharp Football Analysis ranks the Commanders next to last in the NFL in terms of secondary play.
Perhaps, Mike Sainristil will be able to life the competitiveness of the group. The Commanders selected him in the second round (No. 50 overall) of this year's NFL Draft.
What do Commanders expect from CB Emmanuel Forbes?
One of the biggest issues with Forbes — well known on draft day — is his size. Reports in the postseason suggest he’s looks noticeably MORE slim than he did in 2023. This comes from a player — generously listed at 6-foot and 180 pounds by the Commanders — who weighed in at 166 pounds during the NFL Combine. Also, he became one of the lightest players drafted at his position in the new century.
And regardless of the speed required to play cornerback in the NFL, size certainly matters. How much? Just look at his Pro Football Focus rating in run defense — 28.4. A fairly strong high school player might be able to impact an NFL’s team’s ground attack better than that. And his coverage rating of 57.6 doesn’t exactly inspire confidence, either.
But how did it play out in real terms? Consider Week 4 against the Eagles, when Forbes went up against Philadelphia Eagles’ star A.J. Brown — who brought a 6-1, 226-pound frame to the field. For those keeping score at home, that’s 60 more pounds than Forbes weighs. And guess what happened? Brown tortured Forbes to the tune of six catches for 147 yards and two touchdowns.
But Forbes didn’t enter the NFL thinking weight would be an issue, at least not in what he said to si.com.
“Weight is going to come over time,” Forbes said. “I'm not going to stress about it, they didn't have a problem with it, that's why they drafted me, so I'm just going to enjoy it and just keep on being myself and trying to gain weight but be comfortable. Honestly, they didn't really care too much about my weight because I can play ball. That's all that matters and it never affected my game, so it really didn't play a factor.”
But it actually did affect his game. In 14 games, six of them as a starter, he had one interception. One. This from a player who coaches and fans expected to play like Dallas Cowboys’ Trevon Diggs. Yeah. Not happening.
Unless Forbes is compared to Diggs in the 15 games Diggs missed because of injury. In that case, Forbes turned in a marginally better performance with one pick, 38 tackles, 11 passes defender, and a fumble recovery.
What does Forbes need to do to be successful in 2024?
Three things work in Forbes’ favor, going into the 2024 season. First, expectations are extremely low. He doesn’t have to be — nor will likely ever be — a shutdown corner.
Second, he doesn’t have to make a quantity of plays, he just needs to make splash plays. A pair of early season pick-sixes would help him immensely, even if he struggles in coverage. And third, he’s playing for a new coach, Dan Quinn, who will put him in position to use his speed, quickness, and break-on-the-ball ability to make those plays.
Quite frankly, if he doesn’t thrive in Quinn’s aggressive system it’s unlikely he will find a home anywhere else in the NFL. This is truly a make-or-break year for Forbes.
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