We’ve heard nothing but good things about Washington Commanders rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes thus far. At the rookie minicamp, one coach quickly noted that Forbes was “really f—–g good.”
Last week, the Commanders opened OTAs, and Forbes again stood out, intercepting a pass during drills.
Washington returned to the practice field Tuesday for its second route of OTAs, and Forbes continued to stand out, according to Zach Selby of commanders.com.
Moving on to the red zone, Emmanuel Forbes was one of the clear defensive standouts. Howell threw his way on back-to-back plays — once to Brown and once to John Bates — and the first-round pick forced him to make off-target throws. On the throw to Bates, Forbes had the tight end pinned in the corner of the end zone with no room to stretch out and grab Howell’s pass. Both Brown (195 pounds) and Bates (259 pounds) outweigh Forbes, so it was encouraging to see him hold his own against bigger pass-catchers.
Do we sense a theme here? Forbes is more than a “Johnny-on-the-spot” when it comes to interceptions. And much of the talk surrounding his weight is overrated. After all, Forbes played three years in the SEC and never missed a game due to injury. Sure, that doesn’t mean Forbes can’t or won’t get hurt, but that doesn’t mean it’s because of his weight.
It’s early and means nothing at the moment, but the Commanders should be encouraged by Forbes’ early progress.
