Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes confident ahead of 2nd season

It’s hard to call your second NFL season make or break, especially when you’re a first-round pick, but that’s what Washington cornerback Emmanuel Forbes faces in 2024.

The No. 16 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft appeared in 12 games as a rookie with 10 starts. He finished his rookie season with 27 tackles, 10 passes defended and one interception. On the surface, those aren’t bad numbers, but Forbes’ performance in a Week 4 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles is what everyone remembers.

Forbes was matched up one-on-one against Eagles star A.J. Brown, who finished the game with nine receptions for 175 yards and two touchdowns. The next week, in a blowout loss to the Chicago Bears on Thursday Night Football, Forbes was matched up with Bears star D.J. Moore.

Moore caught eight passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Forbes wasn’t covering Moore the entire game, but it was enough for Washington coaches to bench him.

Forbes did not play the following week and played only 5% of the defensive snaps in the following two games. So, the coaching staff who chose him lost confidence in him after five games.

Remember the post-draft video of the previous staff smiling as if they pulled one over on the rest of the NFL by choosing Forbes?

That tells you all you need to know about the former staff. Washington had an overmatched secondary coach last season, and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio had no answers. Both were fired after a Thanksgiving blowout loss in Dallas.

Head coach Ron Rivera was fired in January, and the Commanders hired Dan Quinn to replace him. Quinn’s new defensive coordinator, Joe Whitt Jr., followed him from the Cowboys, where the duo led the Dallas defense to a top-five finish in each of the last three seasons. The Cowboys also led the NFL in forced turnovers.

So, when Quinn and Whitt came aboard, Forbes was excited.

In a recent social media post, Forbes expressed confidence ahead of a critical season for him.

Forbes and the Commanders report to training camp in three weeks. Fans need to see more from the second-year cornerback than social media posts. The new coaching staff did not draft him. Quinn stresses competition and Forbes must earn his spot in 2024.

The secondary struggled badly last season. Washington needs Forbes. And if Forbes resembles the same player from last season, general manager Adam Peters will not hesitate to move on from him. The pressure is on Forbes, something he understands. A fresh start could be exactly what Forbes needs.