The Eagles made a trade ahead of the preseason opener on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals (7:30 PM kickoff, Lincoln Financial Field, NBC10/SportsRadio 94WIP).
The team announced on Tuesday that it has acquired cornerback Jakorian Bennett from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker.
“I think Howie (Roseman) does such a good job of continually trying to improve our football team,” Head Coach Nick Sirianni said before Tuesday’s practice as the teams awaited both players to pass physicals to finalize the deal. “No one does it better than he does. We thought that it was an opportunity to add some depth at corner. We feel good about our depth, obviously we’ll miss Book. We wish him the best. We feel good about our depth at defensive tackle, but just a way to add some depth there at corner.”
The 5-foot-10, 200-pound Bennett enters his third NFL season out of Maryland. The 24-year-old was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders in 2023. Last season, Bennett started seven of the 10 games that he played at outside cornerback and finished with eight passes defensed. Per Pro Football Focus, he allowed just 45 percent of pass attempts in his direction to be completed (third best in the league among players with 250+ coverage snaps). Quarterbacks posted a passer rating of just 57.9 and had zero touchdowns against him. He played in 14 games as a rookie (four starts) and posted 32 tackles and three passes defensed.
“We liked his tape coming out. We liked his tape when he was with the Raiders,” Sirianni said. “He’s got speed, coverage ability, special teams value, so we’re excited to have him.”
Bennett will join the competition in the cornerback room that features ascending talent Quinyon Mitchell at one starter position and a battle on the other side that includes Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo, among others, and now the former Raider.
“We’ll catch him up in some off time, catch him up during the meetings, and have some other things to get him ready to go,” Sirianni explained of the process of incorporating Bennett into the team.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Bennett was the most athletic cornerback at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. He ran the second-fastest time in the 40-yard dash (4.3 seconds) of all players in Indianapolis and the fourth-fastest 10-yard split (1.48 seconds). He also placed in the top five among cornerbacks in both the vertical jump (40.5″) and the broad jump (11’1″).
At Maryland, Bennett was a two-time honorable mention All-Big Ten Conference selection, leading all FBS players in passes defensed from 2021-22 with 29. He was a track star at McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile, Alabama and nearly gave up on football due to a lack of playing time until his senior year.
Booker’s departure is a sign of the team’s confidence in the depth of the interior linemen. A tremendous development story, Booker spent 2023 on the Eagles’ practice squad after playing in 10 games as a rookie in Houston. Last season, Booker cemented a spot on the active roster, playing in all 21 regular-season and playoff games.
