Safety Darrick Forrest strongly believes he is taking the next stop forward.
Drafted in the 5th round (163 overall) in 2021 by Washington, Forrest appeared in 8 games his rookie season, starting none. But this season he earned more reps in training camp and says he is adjusting better.
Washington emphasized his impact on special teams after drafting Darrick Forrest. Didn't get a ton of snaps in the 1st half, but got plenty of work there in the 2nd half. Made a nice play here. pic.twitter.com/OFfQJSx9sl
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) August 19, 2021
“I feel extremely more comfortable than I did last year. I feel like OTAs helped me a lot. The guidance and the leadership from the players around me is making things easier for me.”
Saturday at Kansas City, Forrest saw time on 21 defensive snaps (32 percent). He feels he can contribute not only on special teams, but also on defense this season. “I know that I’m going to come in at the Buffalo Nickel package and I got to play my role. I got to do my responsibility and I just got to help the defense run efficiently.”
Going through the off season program a second time, Forrest knows it definitely is helping him.
“I feel like in OTAs we took a step forward. We broke down the defense again so that just gave us another head start. I just feel like we’re starting to understand where we’re supposed to be at all times. And the little details are what’s changing right now.”
For now, he is most comfortable playing safety, seeing the field from further off the line of scrimmage. “I feel like I’m more comfortable in the back end, but I can also get down in that nickel spot. I also feel like the guys in front of me are helping me. I can diagnose the formation extremely fast now, and I feel like that’s allowing me to play fast.”
It appeared Forrest was in the Buffalo Nickel role to start against the Chiefs. “I just feel like it (Buffalo Nickel) allows me to play fast. I’m closer to the line of scrimmage and I like the hitting, so obviously if I’m in a fit I’m going to get down there and make a big hit if I need to. And I can cover at the same time. ”
Forrest playing on 21 snaps against the Chiefs nearly matched his entire 2021 total of 26 defensive snaps over 8 games. Not all Commanders fans may have noticed, but Forrest who wore No. 48 last year, is wearing No. 22 this season.
Forrest believes his biggest area of growth has been his mental game. “It’s been my mind…It starts with preparation. So I feel like I’m more prepared this year. I stayed in each and every meeting (last year). I was at a lot of the away games, so I was around. I might not have been out there, but I was definitely taking those mental reps each and every play.”
