Commanders News: Eric Bieniemy, Sam Howell, Emmanuel Forbes and next man up

Commanders' remain confident in Emmanuel Forbes

Things haven't gone well for Emmanuel Forbes over the last two weeks. The rookie cornerback was torched by A.J. Brown at the Philadelphia Eagles and followed this up with another less-than-stellar outing whenever he was lined up versus D.J. Moore during an embarrassing reverse for the Washington Commanders on Thursday Night Football.

Forbes is a gifted young man, but it's evident tasking him with coverage responsibilities against the NFL's best is a step too far right now. The first-round pick out of Mississippi State can still be a valuable piece of the puzzle, but Washington's coaching staff cannot keep placing across from No. 1 options until he accumulates more experience.

When discussing Forbes, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio conceded that it's not been good enough based on comments via Sports Illustrated. However, he remains confident in the player given he's still so early in his development.

"I'm just going to say it hasn't gone the way he would like or we would like. So we'll just keep working at it. I believe in the young man. He's obviously had a rough start. Hasn't been as productive as we'd like him to be and I know how much he'd like to be himself. Just gotta keep working, that's what you do in this business. There's no shortcut, there's no easy way out, you just have to work."

- Jack Del Rio via Sports Illustrated

Forbes is a determined character that is going to get better. Writing him off after just five contests is foolish, but a rethink about how he's deployed is absolutely imperative.