The Philadelphia Eagles brought in some reinforcement in training camp after last week's trade with the Las Vegas Raiders to acquire cornerback Jakorian Bennett. While there are signs of a good player, Bennett has some work to do.
During the joint practice between the Eagles and Cleveland Browns at training camp on Wednesday, Bennett seemed to have gotten off to a good start before experiencing some tough moments afterward. Bleeding Green Nation's Brandon Lee Gowton recalled what he saw from Bennett.
"Bennett got off to a positive start by knocking down a short pass over the middle to Jeudy. He struggled after that. Bennett trailed well behind a crossing Gage Larvadain — who is an undrafted rookie — to allow a touchdown during red zone drills. He allowed a completion over the middle to Jeudy on a really nice anticipation throw from Joe Flacco. Later, Bennett got his hands on a pass but he was flagged for defensive pass interference on the play.
In fairness to Bennett, he’s still learning a new defense. And some of his struggles came while playing left cornerback, which isn’t where he mostly played for the Las Vegas Raiders. But it’s probably safe to say Bennett isn’t a slam dunk starting option."
Not the end of the world, but Bennett has some work to do
The former fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2023 has shown great promise to start his career in Las Vegas. He's produced 58 tackles and 11 pass deflections in 24 games with 11 starts. Last season, he allowed a completion percentage of 52.3% and a passer rating of 67.7.
It's only been a week plus for Bennett, who is still learning defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system. That's going to take some time, as he tries to prove that he could be an option at CB2.
Bennett might end up being a long shot for the job with Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson ahead of him in terms of preparation. In terms of talent, they might all be even, with Ringo and Jackson, struggling to separate themselves from the job.
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The hope is that Bennett will be able to use the live game on Saturday against the Browns to show what he can do. He's still got time to bounce back and prove Eagles general manager Howie Roseman right for trading for him.