It’s rare for a first-round pick to be released less than two years after being drafted but that’s exactly the situation Emmanuel Forbes found himself in on Saturday. The Washington Commanders waived the second-year cornerback 19 months after drafting him with the 16th overall pick and the Los Angeles Rams pounced on the opportunity to add him to their secondary.
The Rams claimed him off waivers, giving the struggling cornerback a shot in Los Angeles. Forbes probably won’t contribute right away but he could have a future with the Rams, especially considering he’s signed through the 2026 season.
Sean McVay commented on the Rams’ decision to claim Forbes during his media session Monday, sharing what he likes about the young cornerback’s game.
“(He’s) a player that we liked as part of the evaluation process coming out a couple of years ago out of Mississippi State,” McVay said. “He had a lot of ball production and had some good tape out there, even when we played them last year. He showed versatility, showed competitive toughness on the edge, and good ball skills. A guy that I don’t know too much about personally, but Kam Curl was excited to be able to reunite with him. We’ll get him in here and get him acclimated to the building, but he was a guy that we liked and had a familiarity with just based on the evaluation coming out of Mississippi State and then I thought there was some good tape that he’s put out there when we’ve gone against him, particularly later in the year last year.”
During his appearance on the “Coach McVay Show” after his press conference, McVay talked further about what Forbes brings to the table as a corner. Once again, he talked about his toughness, mentioning his willingness to help in run support – something the Rams put a lot of value in.
“A guy that can come up and play press,” McVay said. “I think he’s got the ability to be able to play visually. He’s tough. He’s a leaner build but he’s showed some competitive toughness if he’s asked to come up in run support. We played against him last year when we played Washington later on in the season and I thought he had some good tape.”
In the Rams 28-20 win over the Commanders last season, Forbes only played six snaps. He wasn’t targeted and didn’t allow a catch, so it’s not as if he put much tape in that game.
There are obvious weaknesses in Forbes’ game, including his tackling (he missed 46.2% of the time this season) and physicality as a slimmer cornerback. However, the Rams clearly think they can turn him into an impactful player in the secondary and it’s not as if they’re risking much by bringing him in.
