Remember back in the spring when some predicted that Washington Commanders first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes could be a leading contender for NFL defensive rookie of the year?
The playmaking cornerback intercepted 14 passes during his three seasons at Mississippi State, setting an FBS record by returning six for touchdowns. Not only was Forbes a playmaker, but he was joining a roster that could put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
It was a recipe for success for the Commanders. Or so they thought.
Things haven’t gone as planned. Washington’s defense is among the worst in the NFL, and it was so bad that the Commanders traded edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young at the NFL trade deadline.
As for Forbes, he’s appeared in 10 of Washington’s 12 games but has only one interception. He’s struggled badly at times against players such as A.J. Brown and D.J. Moore. In the Week 11 loss to the New York Giants, Forbes suffered an injury that forced him out of the Week 12 game at Dallas.
And according to head coach Ron Rivera, Forbes’ elbow injury is significant.
“He did have a pretty significant injury there, and so we’ll see how he is and how treatments are going, and from there, we’ll decide, or the training staff and doctors will decide when’s the best opportunity to get him back on the football field,” Rivera said on Monday.
There are five games remaining in Washington’s season. The entire defense has underperformed, including Forbes. Those struggles led Rivera to fire defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and secondary coach Brent Vieselmeyer after the Dallas loss.
The Commanders would love to see Forbes back on the field for the remainder of his rookie season. He had played well in his last two full games against the Patriots and Giants.
