Super Bowl Champion, Former First-Round Pick Could Help Commanders

Even thought the Washington Commanders only gave up 178 passing yards in a 21-18 win over the New York Giants in Week 2, that’s not really a predictor for future success in the secondary.

In fact, no team should gauge how good their secondary is against the Giants as long as Daniel Jones is the team’s starting quarterback — although the Commanders still managed to give up 2 touchdown passes to Jones.

What the Commanders need now is immediate help in the secondary, which Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder thinks they could get by adding free-agent cornerback Bradley Roby to the roster.

“The Commanders need help at cornerback as it’s one of the team’s biggest weaknesses,” Holder wrote. “Part of the problem is the defense is very young at the position, so adding a veteran like Roby would be a smart move to inject some experience into the meeting room. Also, it helps that he has experience covering the slot and the boundary.”

The Commanders are 1-1 after the win over the Giants and return to action on Monday, Sept. 23, with a road game against the Cincinnati Bengals, who will be looking for their first win of the season after an 0-2 start.

Roby Won Super Bowl Early in Career

Roby was a 2-time All-Big Ten pick and All-American at Ohio State before the Denver Broncos selected him in the first round (No. 31 overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.

Roby spent the first 5 seasons of his career with the Broncos. He won a Super Bowl in his second season in 2015 and led the NFL with 2 interceptions returned for touchdowns in 2016. He signed a 1-year, $10 million contract with the Houston Texans in 2019 then re-upped with the Texans the next year with a 3-year, $31.5 million contract extension.

Roby’s time in Houston wasn’t without controversy — he missed the first 6 games of the 2020 season after he was suspended for PED use. He played for the New Orleans Saints in 2021 and 2022 and spent 2023 with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Through 2024, Roby has played in 135 career regular-season games with 392 career tackles, 11 interceptions, 9 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 85 pass deflections and 3 touchdowns.

Through 10 NFL seasons, Roby has also accumulated $49.3 million in career earnings.

Injury to 2023 First-Round Pick Depletes Secondary

The Commanders are playing without 2023 first-round pick (No. 16 overall) and cornerback Emmanuel Forbes Jr., who is out after undergoing thumb surgery. Washington replaced Forbes in the lineup with veteran Bobby Price, who was elevated to the active roster on Sept. 14.

Forbes’ absence likely won’t have an impact on the Commanders’ trajectory in 2024 —he graded out as one of the NFL’s worst cornerbacks as a rookie in 2023 and starting 2024 as the backup to Benjamin St.-Juste. While Forbes saw the field in the season opener, he was still bad — 3 targets and 3 receptions at an average of 12.7 yards per catch.Holder identified cornerback as the Commanders’ biggest weakness headed into Week 3.

Washington has allowed 6 passing touchdowns in the first 2 weeks and has yet to register an interception. The Commanders’ offense has done little to help out the defense — rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels has yet to throw a touchdown pass and all 21 of Washington’s points against the Giants came on field goals.