Commanders News: Sam Howell, Ron Rivera, Emmanuel Forbes and Magic Johnson
By Dean Jones
Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes' benching
After failing to cope with the physical presence of A.J. Brown in Week 4 at the Philadelphia Eagles, all eyes were on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes to see if he could show the necessary resolve with the primetime lights glaring. However, it was another rough outing for the first-round pick, who was benched in the second half by head coach Ron Rivera in favor of Danny Johnson.
Forbes once again looked sluggish in coverage going up against D.J. Moore, who had a career day versus the head coach who drafted him No. 24 overall in the 2018 NFL Draft. He also missed an important tackle on running back Khalil Herbert, which might have been the final straw for Rivera with the game getting away from the Washington Commanders.
When discussing his decision to take Forbes out of the firing line, Rivera stated via Nicki Jhabvala from The Washington Post that the coaching staff gave the Mississippi State product an opportunity to bounce back. When things weren't going his way, that's when they pulled him.
"The thought process was he was struggling. We were hoping he would bounce back from last week and, you know, we felt it was time to make a move."
- Ron Rivera via X/Twitter
This is a blow to Forbes and the Commanders, but it's not the end of the world by any stretch. The rookie was always going to go through some growing pains to begin his NFL journey, so altering expectations should be forefront of the coaching staff's mind until further notice.