1 Rams diamond in the rough is beginning to shine as brightly as expected

The Los Angeles Rams are certain to rework the sagging secondary from 2025. But keep in mind that the entire body of work for this group was not a total washout. After all, advancing to the NFC Championship Game is nothing to sneeze at. But getting there is not good enough. Improvements are needed.

And the secondary is a good place to start.

The trick is to retain what worked and build something better from that framework. The team has already committed to versatile defensive back Quentin Lake. Did any cornerback show enough promise to pair him with Lake in 2026? Well, one cornerback showed enough promise to give an optimistic sense for his future.

And few would guess he is cornerback Emmanuel Forbes.

No, Forbes is not a finished product. As new Ramblin Fan contributor John Sbisa points out, Forbes struggled mightily with missed tackles in 2025. That merely reinforces the concerns that a 6-foot-0 NFL cornerback ought to be tipping the scales at 200 pounds, not at his featherweight 173 pounds.

Why Emmanuel Forbes could be in for banner 2026

There is no wild speculation over the way the LA Rams assembled its secondary. After a series of late draft picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, the team has patchworked the remainder of the squad via free agency. And Emmanuel Forbes was claimed off waivers from the Washington Commanders.

He was a former first-round selection.

Because he joined the team mid-season, he really didn't have an opportunity to contribute until he experienced training camp in 2025. In many ways, his season last year was the equivalent of a rookie's. And that means that the bar should be expected to get higher in 2026.

Simultaneously, the entire organization knows what it has in Forbes. That will enable general manager Les Snead to hand-pick better teammates who can complement his skillset. And it will allow the coaching staff to appreciate his positives while working to improve his challenges.

Tackling is something he must work on.

He is not great, but he flashed enough moments of brilliance to compete for a role in 2026. And if he has the right players around him, he can contribute nicely. If the team can re-sign veteran cornerback Roger McCreary at the right price, Forbes becomes a foundational piece to a secondary that could be much better.

An NFL secondary needs time to sync up. LA has had too many moving pieces over the past two seasons to have any chance of continuity, communication, chemistry, and consistency with defensive backs.

He may not tackle well, but he picked off three passes and deflected 18 others last season out of 76 targets. Of that number, only 43 passes were completed. Can he do better? Absolutely. He's finding his confidence once more.

Emmanuel Forbes is a diamond in the rough, but he's starting to shine brightly. And with a secondary that needs to improve, he is definitely trending in the right direction.

As always, thanks for reading.