The Rams are counting on Emmanuel Forbes this year

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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 2: <a class= — INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 2: Emmanuel Forbes Jr. #1 of the Los Angeles Rams stands on the sidelines during the national anthem prior to an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium on November 02, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images) | Getty Images

JB Scott

Sat, May 2, 2026 at 4:19 PM UTC ·

3 min read

It was unsurprising to see the Los Angeles Rams decline the fifth-year option for cornerback Emmanuel Forbes. Opting in would have cost the Rams a fully guaranteed $12.6M for the 2027 season.

But that doesn’t mean the Washington Commanders ’ 2023 first rounder is expendable in Los Angeles this year. Quite the opposite. The Rams are counting on the corner to be an important depth piece.

Despite adding two starters from the Kansas City Chiefs in Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson , Forbes remains one injury away from finding himself in the starting lineup. We know LA has Super Bowl hopes this season. It’s likely Forbes will be on the field at some point, and he’ll need to perform well when his number is called.

One of the riskiest aspects of the Rams’ trade for McDuffie is the concerning fact that the corner has only played over 1,000 snaps in two of the four seasons in his career. McDuffie is coming off an injury-plagued 2025. As a player with a slight frame, is this a sign that he possibly cannot hold up over the course of a 17-game season?

Watson, on the other hand, has never played 1,000 snaps in his career although for different reasons. As a seventh round draft selection in 2017, he took over as a starter in Week 2 and played in mostly a rotational role. His sophomore year he came off the bench more than starting. Watson broke his ankle in Week 7 of the 2024 season and returned for the playoffs and helped Kansas City reach the Super Bowl. He was healthy for most of 2025 and then sat out the final game of the season; however, Watson still finished with below 900 snaps.

The Rams are paying Watson to be an every-down starting corner. While he is a physical player and one of the best available options in free agency, that simply isn’t who he has been so far in his career. There is some projection risk with this signing, and if he falls short of expectations the alternative is Forbes.

So based on the projection of Watson in his fifth season and coupled with the injury history of both Watson and McDuffie, the Rams will likely need Emmanuel Forbes to play key snaps at some point this year. Despite declining his fifth-year option, Forbes remains an important part of LA’s secondary depth heading into a season with Super Bowl hopes.

Do you trust Forbes as LA’s third cornerback? Let us know in the comments.