On Sunday, rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. watched on the sidelines as the Washington Commanders secured a 24-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
Forbes was highly touted after the Commanders picked him with the 16th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft. The Commanders selected Forbes over another profoundly named cornerback, Christian Gonzalez, who went the selection after to the New England Patriots.
Some experts raved about Washington’s choice of Forbes, noting his ball-hawking skills. While at Mississippi State, Forbes had 14 interceptions and an FBS record six interceptions returned for touchdowns.
Those positives led to Forbes being heavily involved in Washington’s defense for the first five games. He played 201 defensive snaps and traveled at times with opponents’ top receiver, like against the Denver Broncos’ Courtland Sutton in Week 2 or AJ Brown of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.
But his struggles became hard to ignore. Forbes got his welcome lessons to the NFL through a brutal stretch of games culminating in Week 5 on Thursday Night Football against the Chicago Bears wide receiver DJ Moore.
Ultimately, the rookie mistakes were unbearable, and Washington benched Forbes in the second half against the Bears. He remained benched this past Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons.
Commanders limited big plays with Benjamin St-Juste and Danny Johnson
The Commanders’ defense was on the field for 83 snaps against the Falcons, and Forbes didn’t touch the field even once. Instead, third-year cornerback Benjamin St-Juste got kicked out from the slot to boundary cornerback. Veteran Danny Johnson then played in the slot in the absence of Forbes.
Forbes remained on the sidelines even as Falcons wide receiver Drake London hauled nine catches for 125 yards. The majority of those catches occurred with St-Juste as the primary defender, including a Kyle Pitts touchdown against man coverage during Atlanta’s first possession.
Still, St-Juste got his first career interception in the fourth quarter, as Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder flailed a pass into the end zone off his backfoot for the pick. Meanwhile, Johnson had a significant pass breakup as he smacked down a pass intended for Pitts on fourth-and-eight in the fourth quarter.
The weaknesses that draft pundits pointed out for Forbes got laminated through his first five games. His slender frame has made him a target against bigger frame receivers — see AJ Brown, DJ Moore, and Courtland Sutton.
Those receivers boxed him out and took advantage of Forbes’ aggressive approach to trying to get an interception. On Sunday against the Falcons, St-Juste got beaten more times than he would have liked, but he limited the times a receiver got behind him.
On the touchdown to Pitts, St-Juste was picked by Johnson, his own teammate, as Johnson tried to stay with his man in coverage. London had a large portion of his catches on St-Juste but no touchdowns.
How long will Emmanuel Forbes Jr. stay benched?
Washington’s head coach Ron Rivera, and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio are on the proverbial hot seat with new ownership in tow. They could not afford to live with the growing pains of Forbes.
But Rivera’s message after the game was more about how Forbes responds to the situation. A first-round pick benched after five games isn’t rare, especially after struggling like Forbes. Philadelphia Eagles Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay noted on social media to Forbes that he got benched as a rookie.
When asked if Forbes will see the playing field next week against the New York Giants, Rivera said, “We’ll see,” and noted each week is “different” and each opponent is different.
The Falcons were a heavy-run offense with big box-out receivers. The Giants’ offense is similar in run concepts, but their receivers are a bit faster and like to stretch the field deep.
For now, the Commanders got the win. Their cornerbacks, Kendall Fuller and Benjamin St-Juste, had two of Washington’s three interceptions forced. Rivera is coaching for his job, so all that matters is a win, even if it comes at the expense of the team’s first-round pick watching from the sideline.
