Emmanuel Forbes auditioning for NFL career after Rams' unsurprising decision

Unsurprisingly, the Los Angeles Rams have declined the $12.6 million fifth-year option for cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr. The former Commanders first-rounder never lived up to his draft stock. Despite resurrecting his career with the Horns, he hasn't earned that kind of salary. 

Declining Forbes' option means that he will spend 2026 on an expiring contract. Unlike last year, when he was inserted into a starting role, he shouldn't expect first-team reps with Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson in town. 

Forbes will, however, begin the season as the primary backup on the outside. With the Rams preparing to effectively move on from him long-term, he'll have to play his way into his next contract by making the most of whatever role they give him. 

Forbes will enter year of reckoning as Rams decline option 

In theory, LA could re-sign Forbes next winter, but that isn't a sure thing. If he plays poorly, the Rams won't be interested. If he plays well enough to command borderline starter money, it wouldn't make sense to pay him to be the backup behind McDuffie and Watson. Forbes will want a starting job, anyway, if he earns one. 

It's not a given that he will. Although Forbes delivered a sorely needed spark last season, he made his fair share of mistakes. He made big plays, but he wasn't consistent. Pro Football Focus ranked him 93rd out of 114 qualified cornerbacks last season with an overall grade of 53.8. His 16 missed tackles were the third-most in the NFL. 

The Rams brought him in off the streets midway through the 2024 campaign. He showed enough in two games to get a shot in a bigger role the following season. Credit Forbes for his work, physicality, and playmaking instincts. 

But he also has to thank the shoddy state of Chris Shula's secondary. The Rams' defensive coordinator was working with a cornerback room led by Cobie Durant, Darious Williams, and Roger McCreary, a trade deadline addition. 

Williams lost a step. This offseason, he announced his retirement after seven seasons. McCreary was hurt. For most of the year, the Rams rolled out Durant and Forbes as the starters. 

Durant is solid, but not a CB1. Forbes established himself as a rotational piece; asking him to start is a stretch. In three NFL seasons, he has started just 22 of 39 games, including 14 last year. Washington ditched the former 16th overall pick after just one-and-a-half seasons. His NFL career seemed in jeopardy after the Commanders waived him. 

Forbes has plenty to prove this season - more than it might seem after he played more than 800 snaps last year. His track record would suggest that Forbes is a depth piece on a contender. He will have to prove that he can fill even that role more capably to attract substantial interest from free-agent suitors next offseason.

Otherwise, it'll be back to the waiver wire before long. 

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