Emmanuel Forbes Tough Rookie Start

Photo Credit: Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders used their 16th overall pick on Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.

Forbes has struggled out the gate to start his NFL career. In their Week 5 loss to the Chicago Bears, Forbes was benched due to his recent play. Forbes had two back to back tough matchups with Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown who put up 175 yards, then following up with Bears WR DJ Moore who finished the night with 230 yards.

Forbes finished the first quarter of the season with a Pro Football Focus grade of 37. Commanders Head Coach Ron Rivera remains uncommitted to the cornerback and his actions match his words with the recent benching.

This is alarming considering that Forbes was pick significantly high at 16 and was the first cornerback that was selected in the 2023 Draft. Cornerbacks that were drafted after him have seen success and have shown potential of being a very reliable number 1 cornerbacks in Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez of the Patriots and Maryland’s Deonte Banks of the Giants. Hopefully things will turn around for Washington’s first round pick in the future as he was brought there to be a ballhawk for years to come.