There was never a moment things seemed quite right or even halfway settled with cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. since the Washington Commanders selected him with No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to when they released him after less than 2 seasons on November 30.
For Forbes and the Commanders, the backlash began with questions about his size — 6-foot-1 and 166 pounds — and what might happen when he faced NFL competition.
The answers to that came quick and fast during his rookie season, which encompassed Forbes being benched several times and an embarrassing, Week 4 outing in which Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown torched Forbes for 9 receptions, 175 yards and 2 touchdowns.
More questions persisted in the 2024 regular season, including missing a month after breaking his thumb in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Now, Forbes is looking for a job and the former Mississippi State star responded to his release for the first time with a post on his X account shortly after his release, quoting a bible verse: “Job 8:7-17” followed by 2 prayer hands emojis.
According to BibleGateways.com, the verse reads: “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.”
Forbes Likely Won’t Stay Unemployed For Long
There are plenty of teams in need of cornerback depth headed down the stretch, so it’s a safe bet to say Forbes likely won’t stay unemployed for long.
Bleacher Report listed cornerback as the “Biggest Weakness” for 5 teams headed into Week 13 and it’s a group that includes several Super Bowl contenders and playoff contenders; the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers and Cincinnati Bengals.
“Sunday’s win over the Bears was much closer than the Vikings would have liked,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote. “Minnesota’s secondary again looked like a liability… ”
Commanders Should Have Tried to Trade Forbes
It might be called a dereliction of duty if Washington general manager Adam Peters didn’t at least kick the tires on a few trades for Forbes — likely trying to bait another team into swapping a late-round pick in exchange for the player who set the FBS record with 6 interception returns for touchdowns.
That the Commanders couldn’t talk a team into doing even that for a Top 20 pick just 1 year earlier might speak more to an offseason filled with a never ending stream of derogatory articles about Forbes — questioning his frame and his 4-year, $15.4 million salary — than to his actual skill level.
“First-round picks aren’t usually on the trade block before they’re even halfway through their second pro campaigns, but Forbes is a unique case,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on October 17. ” … He is probably the sixth corner on Washington’s depth chart and is due over the next three years more than $6 million guaranteed, which the (Commanders) might prefer to spend elsewhere. On the other hand, if an organization still sees Forbes as the dynamic playmaker he was in college, three years of a young cornerback at $6 million is a bargain.”
Forbes finished his rookie season with 38 tackles, 1 interception and 11 pass deflections in 14 games with 6 starts. According to PFF, Forbes graded out at 50.9% for his rookie season. He was also the worst cornerback in the NFL against the run with a 28.9% grade.
In 6 games in 2024, Forbes has a PFF grade of 35.4 while giving up 7 receptions on 9 targets with 1 interception.
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