Commanders News: Chase Young, Sam Howell, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Emmanuel Forbes
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlies as Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season officially gets underway tonight?
The NFL is a fast-moving creature. Week 2 is already upon us, which should interest the Washington Commanders as their NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles takes on the Minnesota Vikings with the national spotlight glaring later on tonight.
Washington also has its own game to worry about this weekend. Until then, the stories causing debate include Chase Young's injury progress, Sam Howell turning the page, Ryan Fitzpatrick on Dan Snyder's incompetence, and Emmanuel Forbes' performance in Week 1 coming under the spotlight.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders' CB Emmanuel Forbes graded
Much was expected of Emmanuel Forbes during his first competitive NFL start last weekend. The rookie cornerback certainly looked the part and also came up with a big-time pass defense late in proceedings to rubber-stamp the Washington Commanders' triumph.
Things couldn't have gone much better despite the lack of quality across the opposition's pass-catching options. Something that was further reflected by Dalton Wasserman from Pro Football Focus, who slotted him as the 11th-best first-round selection after Week 1 with a 67.2 grade.
"[Emmanuel] Forbes acclimated well in his Washington debut, racking up four tackles, two stops and a pass breakup. His one mistake was a busted coverage that went for a 31-yard gain, but he gave up only one other catch for eight yards. Forbes played a mostly sound game, and his development will be fun to watch against better competition."
- Doug Wasserman, PFF
This was a decent start from Forbes, but no more than that. How he fares against Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Marvin Mims Jr. at the Denver Broncos on Sunday could be more telling.