One image this offseason of Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes made the rounds and had many fans concerned about his size. Those who saw the pic and commented had jokes, while others said Forbes wasn’t even trying to add weight.
Not true says Commanders head coach Dan Quinn.
“You look for length, so that doesn’t always necessarily mean the size, and he’s bigger than he was, for sure, he’s worked hard on that this offseason to see that weight going up,” Quinn said. “The length and the ball skills, at that position, outside on the freeway, there are some real athletes.”
Quinn stressed that athleticism, ball skills and length were the most important traits for a cornerback playing outside. Forbes has all three.
Quinn discussed Forbes’ ball skills further.
“The first part, is really the ball skills, Quinn said. “At that spot, to be able to turn the ball over, as a defense, that’s something that you really want and I would say that is his superpower.”
Quinn said during the earlier portion of OTAs that Forbes was one of several players working as a returner. He was back there again on Wednesday.
Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes taking reps at returner as they practice the new kickoffs. pic.twitter.com/yCuaH7dpsw
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) June 5, 2024
We don’t know what Quinn, defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr., or general manager Adam Peters currently think of Forbes. However, just because he’s working with the return team doesn’t mean they’ve given up on him as a cornerback. Quinn stresses competition.
While Quinn did his best to quiet any concerns about Forbes’ size, the talk will always remain until he shows he can be a quality starting NFL cornerback.
