Washington Commanders Giving Rookie CB Emmanuel Forbes ‘Bit of a Reset’

By sitting him in Week 6, the Washington Commanders are hoping to spark new growth from rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.

The Washington Commanders accomplished a lot in one 24-16 win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 6. 

While the Commanders snapped their three game winning streak they also gained ground in the NFC East as the Philadelphia Eagles lost for the first time. 

Washington quarterback Sam Howell became the most productive passer in franchise history through seven starts and had his first three touchdown passing performance while the defense intercepted opposing quarterback Desmond Ridder three times.

Coach Ron Rivera also did something nobody anticipated this April when he sat Commanders first round NFL Draft pick cornerback Emmanuel Forbes for the entire game.

“Looking at it, it’s probably an opportunity for him to get a little reset,” Rivera said when asked about the move. “I kind of want to see how things happen, see how things go. Hopefully, it’s something that he’ll learn from, he’ll take as a positive and grow from it.”

Washington Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes (13) / Geoff Burke, USA Today

Forbes had appeared on just over 200 defensive snaps in the first five weeks, but after grabbing his first career interception against the Denver Broncos in Week 2, his play had steadily declined until the moment he was benched against the Chicago Bears in an embarrassing Week 5 loss. 

It wasn’t that Forbes alone was responsible for the defensive collapse that led to a career day for the Bears duo of quarterback Justin Fields and receiver DJ Moore, but his flaws stood out as being those of a young player who may not be ready for this level of competition.

“Practice on all fronts. I’d doesn’t start on Sunday,” cornerback Benjamin St-Juste said after the game when asked about the defense’s sudden spike in takeaways. “We work so hard…keeping each other accountable. When we mess up a play, ‘hey, it’s not my best and it won’t happen again’. Making sure we don’t make the same mistake twice…I gave up a touchdown in the first quarter. I could have been down on myself, but I kept my chin up, chest out, and when my opportunity came, I made my play.”

St-Juste’s opportunity came in the fourth quarter with Atlanta trying to get into the end zone to set up a game-tying two-point conversion. 

Instead, Ridder threw a terrible pass that St-Juste took advantage of to get his own first career interception, and all but seal the Commanders’ third win of the season.

A win that Forbes had to watch from the sidelines.

St-Juste concluded his comments by saying, “It’s not a game of being perfect, it’s a game of who can stay as disciplined for as long as possible.”

For Forbes, St-Juste’s bounce back within the game, and the defense’s ability to grab three takeaways after a miserable outing the week prior, will serve as examples of how he can best use this ‘reset’ to inspire improved play moving forward.