Of all the Washington Commanders‘ 1st-round draft busts in recent years, cornerback and 2023 1st-round pick Emmanuel Forbes stands out for how brief his time with the team was.
Forbes, the No. 16 overall pick, lasted only 20 games with the Commanders before head coach Dan Quinn gave him his walking papers midway through Forbes’ second season — almost unheard of, even for players who don’t pan out.
That’s why Forbes’ revenge was so sweet on Sunday as a member of the Los Angeles Rams as they gutted out a 20-13 road win over the Commanders in Week 9. The Rams’ defense spearheaded the win, and Forbes stepped into a starting role after injuries to outside cornerbacks Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
The Rams picked up Forbes late in the 2024 season, after his release, and he has stuck with the team ever since.
Rams head coach Sean McVay heaped praise on Forbes afterward, who finished with 6 tackles and 3 pass deflections against his old team.
“I thought he was great,” McVay said. “I thought he played tough. I thought he came up in run support. I thought he was sticky in coverage. After we got the one penalty, what I like is that he’s responding, showing great maturity, showing great competitive stamina … I was really proud of Emmanuel Forbes.”
Forbes talked a little trash on social media after the win — going on his official X account to answer popular Commanders fan account Jay Daniels MVP.
“whosss houseeee!!!,” Forbes wrote, including several “shush” emojis.
Forbes Called ‘Worst Draft Pick of Century’
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox tried to quantify exactly how bad the Commanders have been at picking players since the turn of the century.
To do so, he put 2023 1st-round pick (No. 16 overall) Emmanuel Forbes on his list of the “Worst Draft Picks of the Century” after the lightweight cornerback lasted less than 2 seasons in D.C.
“The Washington Commanders founded a new regime when they hired coach Dan Quinn and general manager Adam Peters in 2024,” Knox wrote. “Their last pick of the previous era was a whopper of a mistake … Forbes lasted less than two full seasons in Washington and was waived in November 2024. He has since reemerged as a capable contributor for the Rams, but Washington passed on players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jack Campbell and Sam LaPorta to take him.”
Perhaps most damning for the Commanders was the player selected just 1 pick after Forbes — superstar New England Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez.
Emmanuel Forbes Always Bad Fit for Commanders
For Forbes and the Commanders, the backlash began with questions about his size — 6-foot-1 and 166 pounds — and what might happen when he faced NFL competition.
The answers came quickly during his rookie season, which included Forbes being benched several times and an embarrassing Week 4 outing in which Philadelphia Eagles star A.J. Brown torched Forbes for 9 receptions, 175 yards, and 2 touchdowns.
More questions persisted in the 2024 regular season, including missing a month after breaking his thumb in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Forbes signed with the Rams just 2 days after the Commanders released him.
“Rams claimed former Commanders’ first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes Jr. on waivers, per source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on December 2, 2024.
Forbes became a productive, full-time starter with the Rams in 2025, with 14 starts, 3 interceptions, and a whopping 18 pass deflections — all while taking a backseat to McDuffie and Watson in 2026 as the Rams became Super Bowl favorites.
Ex-Commanders 1st-Round Pick Called ‘Great’ in Revenge Game Win for Rams