3 surprise standout performers from Commanders OTAs

1. Darrick Forrest

Darrick Forrest endured what was essentially a redshirt year as a rookie. He injured his hamstring in Washington’s second preseason game and didn’t return to action until after the Week 9 bye against the Buccaneers.

By that point, the defense had just started turning the corner and there was hardly any reps to go around so Forrest was restricted to a special teams role. All in all, the 2021 fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati played 169 special teams snaps compared to just 26 defensive snaps, 20 of which came in the Week 18 finale.

With several roles on the defense unsettled — backup or otherwise — Forrest recognizes the importance of OTAs and has taken it upon himself to set the tone in practice. On Wednesday, he laid a monster hit on Kelvin Harmon on a jump ball in the end zone. Reporters were surprised a scrap didn’t ensue given players aren’t wearing pads and there’s minimal contact allowed, but nothing came of it.

If the play was enough to get team reporters talking, it definitely caught the eye of the coaching staff. They’ll probably tell Forrest to ease up on the next jump ball, but the fact he’s making noise is a surprising, yet encouraging sign.