Washington Commanders Roster Breakdown: Cornerbacks

The Washington Commanders made a statement when they selected Emmanuel Forbes with the 16th selection in the NFL Draft. 

Although their defense ranked third in the league in terms of yards allowed, they wanted to elevate things further. They wanted turnovers and the ability to change the game in the blink of an eye.

Enter Forbes, the ballhawk from Mississippi State, who set records in the NCAA for interceptions and defensive touchdowns. With his presence, DC’s Capital Defense should have a true game-changer in the secondary and one that could wreak havoc in the NFC East. 

The Commanders doubled-down in their overhaul of the secondary when they selected Jartavius “Quan” Martin in the second round. The cornerback-safety hybrid offers a a dynamic player with high athletic upside. 

Considering both of these additions, I found that this was the best position group to start my Commanders Summer Series, evaluating the roster. In the article below, you will find my breakdown of projected starters, key role-players, and back of the roster guys who may or may not make the team. Let’s dive on into it.

The Starters

As we discussed above, the most notable addition to the Commanders secondary is Mississippi State’s Emmanuel Forbes. Although slight in frame, he is listed at 166lbs, the DB from the SEC was arguably the best ball-hawk in this draft class. He accumulated 14 interceptions at his time in Starkville, MS and returned six of those picks into touchdowns. Both of these numbers are FBS records. 

Forbes should slide in rather cleanly into the Commanders starting defense as an outside corner. Both MSU and the Commanders run similar schemes. At MSU, the team played a 3-3-5 defense and utilized primarily a Cover-3 zone scheme. In Washington, 70% of their defensive snaps were zone coverage last season, per PFF.com. Washington also deployed five defensive backs regularly last season. Including a heavy mix of three safeties. This should allow for an easy transition for Forbes as he can continue to utilize his strengths at the pro level – reading the play and reacting.

At the other cornerback spot, Kendall Fuller will likely be the opposing starter. At age 28, he is the most senior of the defensive backs, and the only DB not on a rookie contract. Don’t let that fool you though. Last season, he led the Commanders defense with 1030 snaps played and was an integral part of the defense. He also had three interceptions and two touchdowns last season. Both of these statistics boosted his PFF grade to 76.6 or 15th out of 119 candidates. The former Hokie and Good Counsel HS graduate will have the first opportunity to start next season opposing Forbes. Finally, Fuller thrives in zone-coverage and will have an additional chip on his shoulder while playing in a “contract year.”

The Nickelbacks 

No, we are not talking about the dreaded alternative rock group, lol. We are focusing on the slot corners for Washington. And in this battle, I see Martin and possibly Benjamin St. Juste competing for this role. 

Martin will eventually be a chess-piece for Washington. At Illinois, he played various roles in the secondary, including boundary corner, slot, and even single-high safety. I believe he will continue to play all of these roles at the next level, but predominantly in the slot. He will fill the role that former Commander Bobby McCain played last season. However, he has much more athletic upside. 

Martin had 8.94 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) and had a vertical jump of 44.1 inches. This was fourth-highest EVER at the NFL combine. He also added a 4.46 40-yard dash. 

Jartavius Martin had a decent bench, but didn't help or hurt his score much.https://t.co/fUoDKScqlo #RAS pic.twitter.com/4H23BEodAP

— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 4, 2023

This athletic display is impressive in its own right, but the fact that Martin played for one of the stingiest defenses in all of college football is also quite impressive. The Illini allowed for the fewest points in the Power Five conferences with a league-low 12.7 points per game. Although Devon Witherspoon had received a lot of pre-draft hype in terms of coverage, Martin was considered the smartest and most versatile piece of that defense. He now resides in Washington, and is playing alongside another first-round talent in Forbes. 

If Martin can’t get up to speed by week one, I’d anticipate St. Juste to start inside as the rookie acclimates. Although BSJ is better suited outside, he is scheme versatile and smart enough to play either position. He also has the size to assist in the run-game or cover larger receivers who may run out from the slot position. It’s a good problem for Washington to have. They have a proven, capable starter who can play inside and out, coming off the bench.

Cornerback Depth  

In terms of depth, the Commanders now have a surprisingly deep DB room. Veterans Danny Johnson, Rachad Wildgoose, and Christian Holmes will return to the team in 2023. Johnson played 292 snaps last season (roughly a third of the team total) and Holmes played over 100 snaps as a rookie.

The team also has Tariq Castro-Fields deep on their roster, who was a standout at Penn State. At 6’1 and 200 lbs, he has desired size and speed. He ran a 4.38 at the NFL combine in 2022. 

Last season, the team kept four cornerbacks on their 53 man roster, and benefited from the “position flex” of their safeties. It’s safe to say that Forbes, Martin, St. Juste, and Fuller will make the team. It will be interesting to see how many they keep this offseason, with the added talent to the room. 

Conclusion

That being said, the Commanders cornerback room sports a desired mix of youth and experience. The additions of Forbes and Martin truly solidified a problem area for Washington last season and will hopefully generate more turnovers. Having incumbents Fuller and St. Juste is simply icing on the cake. The Commanders can go four-deep in the cornerback room rather confidently, and should be a strength of the team. Now it’s all about putting it together.