Commanders OTAs: Emmanuel Forbes has a real chance to get back on track after a rough rookie year
Sure, there's plenty of logic in wondering whether or not a 6-foot-1, 166-pound cornerback can hold up in the NFL, but when it comes to Washington Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes, there's a whole lot more going for him than against him.His size has come back into question since new head coach Dan Quinn and defensive […]
Sure, there's plenty of logic in wondering whether or not a 6-foot-1, 166-pound cornerback can hold up in the NFL, but when it comes to Washington Commanders CB Emmanuel Forbes, there's a whole lot more going for him than against him.
His size has come back into question since new head coach Dan Quinn and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. are the new architects of the defense, simply because those two prefer guys with size on the perimeter of the defense.
However, they also want length and ball skills to be part of a player's makeup and Forbes certainly has both of those qualities. And, because of that, he's getting a chance to rebound from what was a very rough rookie year.
"The first part is really the ball skills, and at that spot, to be able to turn the ball over as a defense," Quinn told reporters on Wednesday. "That's something that you really want and that, I would say, is his superpower, and the thing that he was so strong at. So, from there, you look for length. It doesn't always necessarily mean the size to it and he's bigger than he was, for sure, he's worked hard on that this offseason to see that weight going up. But the length and the ball skills at that position, outside on on that freeway, you know, there's some real athletes and you're just seeing more of this happen.
"You see some of the big numbers and contracts at receiver and corner, so, that position alone, man, it really calls for athleticism, the ball skills and having that length to be able to defend some of the bigger players."
The Commanders added some secondary players in free agency and the draft, but the door is still open for Forbes to win a starting job. His primary competition will be veteran Michael Davis and 2021 third-rounder, Benjamin St-Juste. Both guys have a shot at winning one of the outside jobs, themselves, but neither are considered a shoo-in, which obviously bodes well for Forbes' prospects.
"It's not one size fits all," said Quinn. "… It's really customized to the player and that way, we'll find what's best for them."
So far, Quinn and his staff have been adamant about avoiding pigeonholing guys and putting them in spots that are not conducive to success. That's been talked about ever since the staff was hired back in February and it hasn't slowed down, since.
And even though there's a chance Forbes misses out on a "true" starting job, Quinn and Whitt Jr. aren't pigeonholing themselves, either, when it comes to who they put on the field. There's certainly a world where Forbes still plays substantial, quality snaps, despite not being out there for the first defensive snap of the game (which is how players earn a start, even if they don't play another snap during that matchup).
"We're designing our defense around the players that we have," Whitt Jr. told reporters. "I think if you're just limited to say, 'Hey, we run one scheme, and that's all we have.' No, you have the players that you have, alright, and you make sure that you are putting them in the best position to play high-level football. And we have really good players. And I'm excited, everyday, to come in here and figure out what's the best way to use them…
"… We have 17 to 18 guys [and] we're gonna go out there [and] we're gonna roll a deep crew and to go out there and whup people. So, we don't have 11 guys, we have many personnel groups, and now can they own those positions when we put them in there."
It's clear the Commanders have a plan. How Forbes fits in will be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months, but one thing is for sure and that is the fact he'll get a fair shot to prove his doubters wrong.
