Commanders News: Ron Rivera, Jahan Dotson, Emmanuel Forbes and Sam Howell
By Dean Jones
Which Washington Commanders news stories are hitting the headlines as attention quickly turns towards Week 7 against the New York Giants?
The Washington Commanders might have steadied the ship with victory over the Atlanta Falcons, but there is a lot of hard work ahead if this team wants to become wild-card contenders. Ron Rivera knows that better than anyone, so basking in the glory of one win is not an option with speculation continuing about his future beyond the current campaign.
For now, building on their newfound positivity is critical. Until then, the stories causing conversation include Jahan Dotson's struggles, Emmanuel Forbes' reset, Rivera on some important defensive changes bearing fruit, and Sam Howell on his rollercoaster ride so far.
Let's delve into each topic in more detail.
Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes' reset
One player conspicuous by their absence in Week 6 at the Atlanta Falcons was Emmanuel Forbes. The rookie cornerback didn't see the field for a single snap after going through some significant complications of late, which represented Ron Rivera taking his first-round pick out of the firing line in favor of more experience in Danny Johnson.
When discussing Forbes' lack of involvement on Sunday, Rivera stated via Sports Illustrated this was something of a reset for the player. Something that allowed him to learn from the sideline and react accordingly in the hope he could force himself back into the Washington Commanders' secondary rotation.
"Looking at it, it’s probably an opportunity for him to get a little reset. I kind of want to see how things happen, see how things go. Hopefully, it’s something that he’ll learn from, he’ll take as a positive and grow from it."
- Ron Rvera via Sports Illustrated
Writing Forbes off so early into his NFL journey would be foolish. This is a steep learning curve, but one he must take on board en route to showing people what he's truly capable of as the campaign progresses.