Emmanuel Forbes’ tenure with the Washington Commanders ended after just a season and a half, a shockingly short stint with the team that drafted him 16th overall in 2023. Given his draft pedigree, there’s no doubt he has talent. However, it simply didn’t work out for him in Washington.
Perhaps it will with the Los Angeles Rams after being claimed off waivers a week ago. Forbes was inactive in Sunday’s win over the Bills but he has a chance to play against the 49ers on Thursday night, especially if Cobie Durant misses time with a bruised lung.
Defensive coordinator Chris Shula praised Forbes’ ability to pick up the defense quickly and he says the young cornerback has impressed in practice.
“He’s a guy that has really picked it up above the neck,” Shula said Tuesday. “He’s very smart. He looked good and he took a few reps last week. He played some scout team and looked really good physically last week. This week you can tell he’s even grown a little more. We haven’t practiced yet but just throwing them in there in the walkthroughs, you can tell football makes sense to him. We’re going to do whatever suits the game plan best and maybe we’ll see him out there.”
After playing 14 games last season, Forbes has suited up in just six games this year and has played a total of 109 defensive snaps. That’s the equivalent of about two games for a starter, so he hasn’t been on the field much.
Even if he’s active against the 49ers this week, it’ll likely be as a reserve rather than a full-time starter. But it is encouraging to hear that he’s making progress in his brief time in Los Angeles so far.