Intro Washington Commander quarterback Emanuel Forbes Jr didn't play like a first round pick in 2023 and he needs to bounce back this season if he's going to stand the roster Beyond 2024 the kid is working his butt off and I'm pleased with where he is I can tell you that 100% how's it going today and my name is Background Jesse mcnamer and welcome to point of view before we get into it today I just want to say we always appreciate your feedback look forward to reading your comments like the one we've got here also be sure to stay tuned to the end of this episode to see if you can get today's trivia question down below to today's topic can Emanuel Forbes Jr earn the trust of the new coaching staff in DC after proving the doubters right in his rookie season the 16th overall pick in the 2023 draft had a ton of pipe when he entered the league after he racked up 14 interceptions in three seasons including an FBS record six pick sixes he was named a consensus All-American in 2022 and entered the 2023 draft with all the momentum in the world but the draft combine was where signs that he may not be ready for the NFL started to pop up although he was as athletic as any Last Season player in the class his lack of size was obvious on the field and it proved itself when he weighed in at 166 lbs still former head coach Ron Rivera loved what he saw and took him in the middle of the first round slightly controversial at the time but not that big of a risk considering the potential he had that potential is still there but it didn't show last season as he was constantly manhandled at the line of scrimmage and struggled to stay on the field he got consistent snaps in the first four weeks but was benched in week six and only saw 10 snaps over the next two games in week nine he had a huge bounceback against our Patriots where he played 75% of the defensive snaps and collected three tackles and two pass breakups but playing time dipped again and a week 11 injury only furthered the issues he returned after the week 14 buy for the final four games of the season and played nearly every snap in the last two games to gain some momentum heading in the off season but still nothing was proven or guaranteed and the uncertainty only increased when the coaching staff that put their trust in Forbes Jr was fired and a new staff headed by Dan Quinn entered the fold as training camp began Forbes Jr understood that he has a lot to prove here's what he had to say when asked what it's like to enter the season with a clean slate yeah cuz uh so Clean Slate I I have to prove that I'm worthy to play for these coaches you know they didn't drop me and then just like like you said everybody in the Looper room feel like they have something to prove and feel like we have like we have a lot of talent so we just got to put it to use you have to admit he's got a good Weight Gain head on his shoulders for a kid who will be 23 years old for the entire 2024 season and saying the right things is the first step in the right direction but he's already put some of it into action he reportedly came into training camp with an extra 17 lbs of muscle a huge difference from last season he's still smaller than what you'd want from a physical corner but 17 lbs is nothing small he's already feeling the benefits here's what Forbes Jr had to say when asked how the added weight will translate on the field it's making me Maturity more explosive more fast you know and honestly just maturing on help my game this year I matured a lot over the offseason you know found out a lot about myself you know and just looking forward Depth Chart to it you mentioned maturity and that's a big step too because unlike other sports like baseball you have to be ready to play at a very young age or face the risk of being out of the league and your lifelong dreams out the window especially without the staff that drafted you and that reality was made even more clear when the commanders released their first unofficial depth chart and Forbes Jr was listed as a reserve I want to stress heavily that the depth chart is unofficial and coaches across the league swear it means next to nothing but they put the names in order they do for one reason or another so just because Forbes Jr has made progress he can't take a breath yet and luckily he got on the good side of defensive coordinator Joe Wi Jr early on here's what the DC had to say about his first impression of Forbes Jr a couple of months ago I've seen a young man that is every day getting better um getting used to my my my hard coaching um he is uh he's a kid that has a really good skill set and um just like the rest of the young guys uh he's out there working his butt off and I've been pleased with Conclusion him Forbes Jr is going to want to make sure his DC stays pleased with him because the commanders drafted another Corner in the second round so his successor could already be on the team and if the turnaround doesn't happen this season he could quickly become one of the biggest busts in recent memory and it makes it all that much worse that would be for a franchise without a ton of recent success I like what I'm seeing from the kid there's a long way to go before he has a spot in this league and don't get me wrong this isn't the commander team of old the new ownership provides a little added stability that the DC area has needed so bad for so long for more on that check out this past episode a point of view in the moment you've been waiting for here's the answer to today's trivia question we appreciate you tuning to this episode a point of view and we'll see you in the next one