ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Commanders are down one starter in their secondary and might be without another, and that means there may be zero 2023 NFL Draft picks on the field this Sunday when the New York Giants pay a visit to Northwest Stadium for the first time.
Commanders cornerback Emmanuel Forbes injured his thumb against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1, and after trying to give it a go this week with a splint, he and the team decided it was best he get the digit repaired now.
Forbes reported on social media that the procedure went well, and that’s good news, but Washington got a little more bad news Friday pertaining to its secondary, with safety Quan Martin's (hamstring) landing on the injury report for the first time this week.
Officially, Forbes has been ruled out, and Martin is questionable to play on Sunday. Both men represent the last remnants of the 2023 NFL Draft class currently on the active roster. Running back and 2023 sixth-round pick Chris Rodriguez Jr. and seventh-round defensive end Andre Jones Jr. are on the team’s practice squad, but if neither is elevated to the active roster Sunday and Martin can’t play, then Washington will have zero members of its draft class from last year on the field.
Also questionable are defensive linemen Clelin Ferrell and Jer’Zhan Newton.
Ferrell is listed with a knee issue and did not practice Friday after being a full participant on Wednesday and Thursday. Newton, meanwhile, was limited in practice the last two days as he continues to come back from his third foot injury this calendar year.
The good news is none appear to be directly tied to one another, and Commanders head coach Dan Quinn sounded optimistic the second-round pick will make his NFL debut sooner rather than later.
“I felt really good going in, so we’ll stick to the plan,” said Quinn when asked how he felt Newton responded to getting a padded practice Thursday and then more work Friday. “So, we got a good bit (Thursday), some more today, and then we'll take it into tomorrow really to make the assessment... But, man, it was really cool to see him get going, so, yeah, trending in the right spot for us, for sure."
Offensive tackle Brandon Coleman (shoulder), safety Tyler Owens (ankle), running back Brian Robinson Jr. (knee), and offensive tackle Trent Scott (knee) were also listed on the team’s final injury report of the week, but none has a game designation, indicating they’ll be good to go on Sunday.
Washington hosts the Giants at Northwest Stadium this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.
