4 winners (and 3 losers) from Commanders' preseason loss at NY Jets

Loser No. 3

Emmanuel Forbes Jr. - Commanders CB

Emmanuel Forbes Jr. needed to bounce back after his woeful display during a joint practice with the New York Jets. The cornerback is coming under increasing fire and doesn't look ready for significant responsibilities right now. That's not what the Washington Commanders had in mind when they took him No. 16 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Forbes had a couple of nice moments. His pass breakup early on almost led to an interception, which was encouraging. However, another lapse in concentration proved to be his undoing in a critical moment at MetLife Stadium.

The former Mississippi State star allowed Jason Brownlee to get some leverage in the red zone. He took full advantage, snagging a 12-yard touchdown reception on Forbes' watch.

This has been the story of Forbes' professional journey so far. He sometimes looks the part, but it's nowhere near consistent enough. The Commanders will keep working hard on his development. Whether it comes with an immediate surge in performance levels remains to be seen.

Winner No. 4

Jayden Daniels - Commanders QB

Jayden Daniels strutted into MetLife Stadium with swagger and confidence wearing a retro jersey paying homage to Doug Williams. The Commanders gave him the starting job - something he'd earned following a sensational transition since becoming the No. 2 overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. It was a small sample size, but his performance only raised expectations.

Daniels was amped up early, sailing an easy completion over the head of running back Austin Ekeler. The Heisman Trophy winner dusted it off quickly to come up with the game's best highlight by a considerable margin.

After checking out of the original call, Daniels unleashed a deep bomb to wide receiver Dyami Brown for a huge gain. This was in stride with pinpoint accuracy. It's also exactly what the Commanders became enamored with the signal-caller during their pre-draft evaluations.

The former LSU star capped off his first NFL drive by keeping a zone-read option and going in for an easy rushing touchdown. Washington took him out of the firing line after that, but Daniels did nothing to diminish the excitement regarding his potential credentials as the franchise-caliber quarterback the Commanders have craved for years.

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