Commanders Have Decided What Will Happen to Ron Rivera
CB Emmanuel Forbes of the Washington Commanders is limited because of a “matchup.”
Emmanuel Forbes is a cornerback that the Washington Commanders selected with their first-round choice, although they don’t seem all that eager to use him.
This weekend’s 28-20 loss to the Los Angeles Rams effectively eliminated the Washington Commanders from the NFL Playoffs.
During the game, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford gained 258 yards and two touchdown passes from the Commanders defense.
Although it wasn’t the best defensive effort Washington has had this season, it wasn’t the worst either.
In any case, we cannot hold first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes accountable for this defeat because he hardly played.
“That was a lot more about what [DB] Quan [Martin] was doing and really what we had as a matchup going into this game,” coach Ron Rivera said when asked about Forbes’ six defensive snaps compared to second-round defensive back Quan Martin who played all 75.
Week 15 marks the fourth time in his last six games Forbes appeared on fewer than 10 of the defensive snaps in a single game. In one of those games, Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks, Forbes was ejected after playing only five snaps.
In the other two, he played 75 percent or more in a win over the New England Patriots and a loss to the New York Giants.
It’s important to note Forbes also missed two games due to injury following the Giants contest, but that’s not a reason Rivera revealed when asked about his low usage in Week 15.
If matchup is the concern or reason, then it’s hard not to look back to April when the Commanders chose Forbes over Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez who many pegged as a slam dunk selection if he fell to their pick.
After Washington took Forbes, video of Rivera and others being fully in on the prospect from Mississippi State surfaced and less than six games into his NFL career the rookie was benched.
Any NFL team taking a defensive back in the first round expects him to be able to play substantial snaps in every game – barring injury – regardless of the matchup.
Matchup-dependent players are typically reserved for middle-round picks, or maybe higher by teams who may believe that one need separates them from a Lombardi Trophy.
It looks that the Commanders used their first-round selection on a matchup-dependent player who only had six favorable matchups in a game that ultimately resulted in the team’s elimination from the playoffs.
Naturally, that vision is limited to what we currently know, and coach Rivera has most certainly used his final first-round pick in Washington due to the pick’s failure.
