The Rams have claimed former first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes off waivers, head coach Sean McVay confirmed on Monday.
Forbes, 23, was selected by the Washington Commanders with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. He played in 14 games as a rookie, giving up 39 catches on 60 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.
He injured his thumb in Week 1 of this season, requiring surgery to repair a torn UCL. But after his recovery he was a healthy inactive several times this season and only played in six games. After being unable to move Forbes at the deadline, Washington opted to move on this weekend, allowing the Rams to claim him.
“Player that we liked as part of the evaluation process coming out a couple years ago out of Mississippi State,” McVay said. “Had a lot of ball production, had some good tape out there. Even when we played them last year, showed versatility, showed competitive toughness on the edge, good ball skills.”
To make room for Forbes on the 53-man roster, the Rams waived undrafted rookie Charles Woods.
“So guy that I don’t know too much about,” McVay added. “[Former Washington safety] Kam Curl was excited to be able to reunite with him, but we’ll get him in here, get him acclimated to the building.”
INJURY REPORT
Quarterback Matthew Stafford suffered a lateral ankle sprain in the second quarter of Sunday’s 21-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints, but McVay said it isn’t expected to impact his availability this week against the Buffalo Bills.
“Nothing that’s going to change his weekly rhythm as far as practice, stuff like that,” McVay said. “He ran today with part of the [recovery workout].”
Wide receiver Demarcus Robinson suffered a hand avulsion in the win over the Saints. McVay said the Rams will have to take some precautions such as using a pad to protect the injury, but Robinson should be able to play against Buffalo.
Tight end Tyler Higbee (knee) is still expected to need another week of practice before he starts ramping up for a return to his first game action of the season.
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After their medically-tinted season, the Rams are down to one final “return from injured reserve” designation that they can make, with two early-season starters – linebacker Troy Reeder and safety John Johnson III – still waiting to make their returns.
McVay said he and the defensive coaches have had conversations with General Manager Les Snead about how to handle the situation. One possible scenario is waiting to see if there is an injury at linebacker or safety and then making a corresponding move to bring either Reeder or Johnson back to practice.
“Both those guys could be physically ready. Both those guys would represent our team getting better,” McVay said. “So those are ongoing conversations. But as of right now we’re still working through that. Would love to have the availability to bring them both back. It’s a tough situation that nobody to blame but us for that. So we’ll handle it accordingly.”