For Forbes and the Commanders, the response started with concerns about his height — 6-foot-1 and 166 pounds — and what would happen if he faced NFL competition.
During his rookie season, Forbes was benched multiple times and had an awful outing in Week 4 against Philadelphia Eagles standout A.J. Brown, who blasted Forbes for 9 receptions, 175 yards, and 2 touchdowns.
More doubts arose throughout the 2024 regular season, including a month off after fracturing his thumb in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Forbes is currently hunting for work, and the former Mississippi State star responded to his release for the first time with a post on his X account shortly after, referencing a bible verse: “Job 8:7-17” followed by two prayer hands emojis.
According to BibleGateways.com, the text reads: “Your beginnings will seem humble, so prosperous will your future be.”
Forbes Probably Won’t Be Unemployed For Long
There are plenty of teams looking for cornerback depth down the stretch, so Forbes is unlikely to remain unemployed for long.
Bleacher Report identified cornerback as the “Biggest Weakness” for five teams entering Week 13, including four Super Bowl and playoff contenders: the Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, and Cincinnati Bengals.
“Sunday’s win over the Bears was much closer than the Vikings would have liked,” writes Matt Holder of Bleacher Report. “Minnesota’s secondary again looked like a liability…”
Commanders should have tried trading Forbes.
It would be considered a dereliction of duty if Washington general manager Adam Peters did not at least consider a few trades for Forbes, most likely in an attempt to entice another team into trading a late-round pick for the player who set the FBS record with six interception returns for touchdowns.
That the Commanders couldn’t persuade a team to offer even that for a Top 20 choice just one year ago may have been due to an offseason filled with a never-ending stream of negative articles about Forbes, questioning his frame and his four-year, $15.4 million salary, rather than his actual skill level.
“First-round picks aren’t usually on the trade block before they’re even halfway through their second pro campaigns, but Forbes is a unique case,” ESPN’s Bill Barnwell wrote on October 17. ” … He is most likely the sixth corner on Washington’s depth chart, with more than $6 million guaranteed over the next three years, which the (Commanders) may want to spend elsewhere. On the other hand, if a franchise still sees Forbes as the explosive playmaker he was in college, three years of a young cornerback for $6 million is a steal.”
Forbes concluded his first season with 38 tackles, one interception, and 11 pass deflections in 14 games, including six starts. Forbes received a 50.9% grade from PFF during his debut season. He was also the NFL’s worst cornerback against the run, earning a 28.9% grade.
Forbes has a PFF grade of 35.4 after six games in 2024, allowing seven receptions on nine targets and one interception.
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