Emmanuel Forbes might intrigue the Giants, who could use cornerback depth
Not even two years after drafting him No. 16 overall the Washington Commanders have given up on cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, waiving their 2023 first-round pick.
Should the New York Giants, badly in need of young talent and depth in their secondary, take a flier on Forbes?
Let’s not make Forbes out to be something he hasn’t been. He wasn’t good with Washington. He played in 14 games as a rookie, starting just six. He had a 103 passer rating against and a 15.7% missed tackle rate. He had an abominable 30% missed tackle rate this season.
The GM (Martin Mayhew) and head coach (Ron Rivera) who drafted Forbes for the Commanders no longer have jobs. New GM Adam Peters and defensive-minded head coach Dan Quinn had little use for Forbes, a beanpole listed at 6-foot, 180, but who measured 166 pounds at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. Forbes played in just six games with one start for Washington this season. He had played only eight defensive snaps since Week 8.
The Giants have Deonte Banks, taken eight picks after Forbes, Cor’Dale Flott and Dru Phillips as starters. They have nothing, though, behind that trio that they could comfortably go forward with in 2025.
Veteran Adoree’ Jackson won’t be back next season — it was a surprise he was back this season. Tre Hawkins is usually inactive. Art Green and Greg Stroman are really practice squad players.
So, should they take a chance on Forbes?
Claiming Forbes on waivers would mean the Giants would be on the hook for whatever remains on the final two-plus years of his fully-guaranteed $15.407-million rookie contract. If the Giants are interested, the more likely path would be signing him as a free agent after he clears waivers to avoid taking on the rookie contract.
Draft analyst Doug Farrar posted a nice breakdown of Forbes for Athlon Sports. Here is part of it:
Forbes was my ninth-ranked cornerback in the 2023 draft class, so it’s correct to assume that I thought the Commanders overdrafted him to a degree. A year and a half later, things have unfortunately played out in ways that would seem to confirm it.
But what was interesting about Forbes’ college tape was that he had more on the ball then than he does now, and some of the flaws that have shown up in the NFL were not there in college.
I do think that the right situation, and the right combination of defensive coordinator, defensive backs coach, and teammates could put a charge into Emmanuel Forbes, and make him into more than what he is today.
But now, the pressure is on Forbes to prove that he’s more than just another name in the long line of recent first-rounders who just didn’t work out in the nation’s capital.
Would Forbes be worth a flier for the Giants as a free agent?
