Rams News: Emmanuel Forbes Jr. Focused On Adding Muscle During Offseason

The Los Angeles Rams added some cornerback depth toward the end of the 2024 season when they claimed Emmanuel Forbes Jr. off waivers from the Washington Commanders.

Forbes is a former first-round draft pick out of Mississippi State who didn’t live up to expectations with the Commanders. He appeared in 20 games and recorded 45 tackles with two interceptions.

Forbes didn’t make an immediate impact with the Rams as his only start came in Week 18, when the team rested most of their starters. He notched five tackles and one pass defensed in two games.

Now as he prepares for his second season with the Rams, Forbes said his main focus has been getting stronger and taking care of his body, via Wyatt Miller of TheRams.com:

“I’ve been grinding every single day and just getting stronger and getting better,” Forbes told theRams.com. “We’re going to lift every day and come out here and practice, then go back and do recovery and just take care of my body.”

Forbes was considered undersized coming out of college but is looking to change that after adding quite a bit of weight and muscle during the offseason:

Forbes didn’t want to give an exact number, but he’s gained “a good bit” of weight since last season by adding muscle all over.

“I feel way stronger, way more explosive and it really has helped my game out a lot,” Forbes said.

Forbes is just over two years removed from being the No. 16 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, so the Rams are hoping they can tap into some of that potential and help him reach new heights.

With the team currently lacking a true No. 1 cornerback, Forbes has an opportunity to make a name for himself and establish a larger role in the secondary.

The early reports have been encouraging as Rams head coach Sean McVay recently highlighted Forbes as one of the standouts in organized team activities (OTAs).

Rams head coach Sean McVay praises Emmanuel Forbes Jr.

Rams head coach Sean McVay has always been a believer in Emmanuel Forbes Jr. and said the team was excited to add a player of his caliber last season.

“[He’s a] player that we liked as part of the evaluation process coming out a couple of years ago out of Mississippi State,” McVay said at the time of the Rams claiming Forbes off waivers.

“He had a lot of ball production and had some good tape out there, even when we played them last year. He showed versatility, showed competitive toughness on the edge, and good ball skills. A guy that I don’t know too much about personally, but Kam Curl was excited to be able to reunite with him.

“We’ll get him in here and get him acclimated to the building, but he was a guy that we liked and had a familiarity with just based on the evaluation coming out of Mississippi State and then I thought there was some good tape that he’s put out there when we’ve gone against him, particularly later in the year last year.”