The celebration over drafting highly regarded rookies lies in stark contrast to the fortunes of Los Angeles Rams former starting cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Despite hearing his name called out on Day 1 of the 2023 NFL draft by the Washington Commanders, he found himself released one year later. And it's that event that allowed the Rams to claim him, rebuild him, and restore him to an NFL secondary
At 6-foot-0 and 173 pounds, Forbes is tall enough to handle the job, but he's not a poster child of physicality. He has to play a finesse game of agility and surprise, which does not often succeed. Forbes played nearly 75 percent of the defensive snaps in 2025, deflecting 18 passes while allowing just 56 percent of passes to find their intended targets.
He even picked off three passes, a career high. Add in 45 tackles, and he appears to have been a solid contributor. But some things don't align with that conclusion.
Forbes misses over 21 percent of possible tackles, sustaining a career trademark of missing over 20 percent of his tackles. And he allowed six touchdown passes. That's a huge black eye for a guy pushing for playing time. It almost certainly led to the team passing on his fifth-year option.
Rams declining Emmanuel Forbes option may be a blessing in disguise
The LA Rams are reengineering a secondary that fell short in 2025. And while Forbes was a mixed bag of production and disappointment, the team only opted out of defaulting him to become a key cornerstone of the secondary. Those roles belong to veterans Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson.
But it does not shut the door to his continued contribution either. Los Angeles is simply taking a wait-and-see stance over Forbes in a diminished and yet concentrated role in 2026. Forbes is no tackler, so he cannot be returned to a starting cornerback role.
Forbes no longer has to do the heavy lifting on defense, which may substantially help his career. And now, knowing that his career hangs in the balance, he has every reason to cut loose and leave it all on the football field. If the team knocked him down by passing on retaining him for 2027, it is also extending him a hand to help him get back on his feet.
Forbes is simply not built for starting 17 games and suiting up for 700+ defensive snaps. But if he secures a defensive package role that offers him approximately 300-400 defensive snaps over the course of a season, he could flourish. And by playing behind two veteran starters, he can go for broke in a smaller number of snaps and remain fresh for the future.
Sometimes, we all must make the best of life's setbacks. Some fans may view Forbes' current situation as a setback. Well, that's only true if he allows his career to plummet as a result. On the other hand, it could be the electric shock that pushes him to become the dependable pass defender he has been projected to become.
Now, it's all up to Emmanuel Forbes. And based on the way he'd fought back to claim a productive role in the Rams defense before, I think his NFL career is back on track once more.
As always, thanks for reading.
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