Things didn’t go well for Emmanuel Forbes Jr. with the Washington Commanders. So the team decided to part ways with the former first-round pick. That allowed the Los Angeles Rams to swoop in and claim Forbes off of waivers, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.

“Rams claimed former Commanders’ first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes Jr. on waivers, per source.”

The Commanders drafted Forbes high, hoping he would become the big-play machine he showed in college at Mississippi State. However, things started poorly in the nation’s capital and never got better.

Former Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes gets second chance

Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. (13) against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium.
Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

In his first season with the Commanders, the sleight-of-build Forbes (6-foot and a generously listed 180 pounds) never got rolling. His draft height of 6-foot-1 somehow shrunk to 6-foot over the course of two years. Perhaps making him appear shorter would offset the 166 pounds he displayed as a prospect?

If you need evidence of how poorly he played for the Commanders, look at his Pro Football Focus grades for 2024. Forbes drew numbers of 33.9 as a run defender and 38.1 in coverage. That combined for a 35.4 overall rating.

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To get an idea of how bad those numbers are, 60 is considered the NFL average. Sixty. Forbes’ numbers are atrocious.

In 2023, Forbes rated even worse in run defense at 28.4. But at least his coverage number of 57.6 almost reached the average range.

This is what the Rams are getting. Commanders coach Dan Quinn urged Forbes to take advantage of a fresh start, according to riggosrag.com.

“When we made the decision to release him, really just the best opportunity for the team at this point,” Quinn said. “I had a chance to visit with him, and I explained to him sometimes that the change of scenery is good. And I’ve seen other players go to other clubs, and it turns out differently. Sometimes that’s a good thing. And I said that that can happen with you too.

“I wanted to make sure he heard that from me. There (are) even guys on his own team here that had started somewhere else as a first-round player and all of a sudden, just a different scenery and different shift. The new system can help. And so, we wanted to wish him best on this football journey wherever that goes from here.”