NFL analyst paints bleak future for Commanders' forgotten first-round flop

Everyone associated with the Washington Commanders is eagerly awaiting the debut of stud cornerback Marshon Lattimore following his bombshell trade before the deadline. Something that will push forgotten first-round flop Emmanuel Forbes Jr. further down the pecking order.

Forbes came into the season with lofty ambitions to silence his doubters. His rookie campaign was a constant stream of failures that left many wondering what Ron Rivera saw in the cornerback to pick him over Christian Gonzalez. The player's NFL sophomore campaign is following a similar trend.

The former Mississippi State standout just doesn't look comfortable in coverage. Forbes is outmatched physically and quickly became a liability against the run to raise more concerns. The fact he's played just eight defensive snaps over the last four games is a damning indictment of how the coaching staff perceive his progress.

Analyst expects the Commanders to let Emmanuel Forbes Jr. go in 2025

Forbes' future looks pretty bleak unless he makes a monumental surge forward in the coming weeks. This was a sentiment echoed by Bryan Manning from USA Today Sports, who felt the Commanders could part ways with the defensive back when the campaign concludes if nothing changes beforehand.

"While the Commanders wait for Marshon Lattimore’s debut, it’s clear where they see Forbes. The 16th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft is clearly at the bottom of the cornerback depth chart and is likely not long for Washington once the season ends. Forbes’s best-case scenario is that he makes some plays when he gets a chance. Otherwise, some of the knocks against him coming out, such as his size and inability to defend the run, will keep him off the field. Washington’s coaches aren’t biased against Forbes. He had the same opportunity as everyone else, even more so being a recent first-round pick, but has failed to capitalize."

- Bryan Manning, USA Today Sports

There was talk about the Commanders shopping Forbes before the 2024 trade deadline. He wasn't drafted by the new regime. General manager Adam Peters had no trouble disposing of other underperforming first-round picks from the Rivera era. Either no suitable offer came or there was no interest at all from elsewhere around the league.

All Forbes can do is keep working hard to change the narrative. Lattimore and second-round rookie Mike Sainristil are long-term pieces to build around. Everyone else on the cornerback depth chart has concerns attached aside from that.

The Commanders might have already made their mind up about Forbes. He doesn't look well-suited to Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr.'s defensive scheme. The lack of size is a major issue that opposing offenses have no trouble exploiting. Perhaps a fresh start would be the best possible solution for all parties.

Washington's new decision-makers were willing to give Forbes another shot. Things aren't developing encouragingly enough and his lack of involvement indicates almost no trust in his capabilities within a competitive setting. Once Lattimore recovers from his hamstring issue, there's a good chance he'll end up being a healthy scratch more often than not.

This is a sorry state of affairs. One that could have been easily avoided had Rivera pivoted and taken Gonzalez once he slid into their laps.

Fortunately, that's no longer a problem Washington has to deal with.

More Commanders news and analysis