If we’re being honest, the Philadelphia Eagles didn’t feel too much better than the Washington Commanders did at the end of last season.
Despite a seven game gap between the two franchises the Commanders entered the offseason feeling lost and in need of big changes, and so did the Eagles.
And big changes came, to both Washington and Philadelphia, sparking new hope with the presence of renewed energy through offseason additions, and increased pressure on those who were present during the bad times that came before what each franchise hopes will be better days ahead.
For the Eagles that pressure rests on coach Nick Sirianni more than anyone, and for the Commanders players like 2023 first round pick cornerback Emmanuel Forbes are under a very large microscope.
“The NFL has been far more ready in recent years to push the boundaries of size thresholds, and so it was last year when the Washington Commanders drafted Emmanuel Forbes at No. 16 overall despite his weighing just 166 pounds at the NFL Combine,” Pro Football Focus’ Sam Monson wrote when identifying Forbes as a player under pressure in 2024. “In Week 4, Forbes spent much of his time against Philadelphia trying to cover A.J. Brown, who weighs 226 pounds — some 60 pounds heavier than Forbes’ NFL Combine measurement. That went about as well as you would expect (10 targets, six catches, 147 yards and two touchdowns just to that matchup), and Forbes was eventually benched later in the year.”
Concerns over Forbes’ size stretch well beyond his arrival to the Commanders last April, but the memory of why there was worry over it in the first place is much more fresh.
In that Week 4 contest Forbes was caught out of position several times but even when he was in the right spot he was simply out-done physically by Eagles receivers Brown and DeVonta Smith.
Both of the matchups between Washington and Philadelphia last year produced Forbes’ two worst defensive grades according to PFF and the second was worse than the first even though he only played five snaps.
In the first game, Forbes was targeted 13 times and gave up nine receptions, two touchdowns, and nearly 200 yards of offense. In the second he was targeted twice in those five snaps, allowed each to be completed, and gave up a score.
Clearly, the Eagles had a plan against Forbes and executed it perfectly.
A shift in scheme should help Forbes and an offseason to get away from the mistakes so he can see the lessons more clearly should also help.
And he’ll have until Week 11 in 2024 to regain his footing, grow his confidence back, and then head into Philadelphia for a Thursday evening matchup in November against his arch rivals, in primetime.
