Last season, the Los Angeles Rams claimed former first-round cornerback Emmanuel Forbes off of waivers, hoping to add to their cornerback depth.
Forbes didn't play much in Los Angeles, only appearing in one game. He started the Rams' Week 18 matchup against Seattle, along with the rest of the Rams' backups, making five tackles and allowing 38 yards on three receptions.
The Rams obviously aren't expecting much out of him as a waiver claim, but are hoping they can develop the traits that saw Forbes be drafted 16th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.
So far, their gamble looks like a decent one, with Rams head coach Sean McVay noting how Forbes looked in their OTA periods.
"I was really impressed with the way that he came in, his willingness to be coached, his openness to maybe some different techniques. And that's really tough to do in the middle of the year, especially given the background of Washington. And I thought he came in with a great demeanor and disposition. Aubrey (Pleasant) always does such a good job of being able to connect with guys, let me connect with you first, then let me learn how we can continue to communicate, speak the saying languages, and then I'll be able to slowly feed you what we're trying to be able to get done in bite-size increments. And you've just seen the progression...Today was the first step, but you can see even when he's responding to questions, what he's showing in the walkthroughs, even watching him in some full speed settings today, you see the ability in some of the individual drills, the movements, the ability to get in and out of breaks and things like that and then the length and the ball skills to be able to pick the ball off. Those are big deals."
Cornerback is inarguably the Rams' weakest position on the roster, leaving them with a decent hole in their secondary that could bite them throughout the season without further improvements across the board.
If Forbes can show some of the ability that led to him being a first-round pick, that would go a long way in settling down the Rams' biggest weakness. That's still a long way away, but it sounds like there are positive first steps going on so far.
Forbes wouldn't be the first first-round pick who had his career turned around after joining the Rams.
