In an absolutely shocking move, the Las Vegas Raiders have traded cornerback Jakorian Bennett to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, Adam Schefter announced.
With a secondary already filled with question marks, Raiders fans are already screaming out the question: Why?
Raiders Trade Jakorian Bennett to Philly for Thomas Booker IV
According to The Athletic, Bennett has been the “odd man out” in the rotation. Despite this statement, Bennett was arguably the Raiders’ best cornerback in the 10 games he played last season, but has struggled to stay healthy in his first two seasons.
“It’s nothing that I haven’t been through before, you know?” Bennett said. “Like in high school, I only started one year, my senior year. Going JUCO and going to Maryland. I always feel like the underdog, and not saying I’m an underdog right now, but just more so, I always had to get out the mud, you know.”
Apparently, the Raiders had other plans. New head coach Pete Carroll covets taller CBs, and Bennett (5’10”, 200 lbs) doesn’t fit the bill. Still, Bennett is widely regarded around NFL circles as one of the more underrated up-and-coming cornerbacks in the NFL.
Among NFL CBs with 450+ snaps, Bennett ranked the following:
- 18 recs allowed (3rd)
- 37 targets (Tied-10th)
- 176 yards allowed (2nd)
- 0 TD allowed (Tied-1st)
- 9 PBU (Tied-4th)
- 62.4 QBR (6th)
Even if he only appeared in 10 games, those are great numbers. Which makes it even more confusing why the Raiders decided to trade him away.
In return, the Raiders are bringing in Booker, a former fifth-round defensive tackle who was buried in the Eagles’ depth chart behind Jalen Carter, Moro Ojomo, Byron Young, and Gabe Hall.
Booker appeared in all 17 games for the Eagles last season, logging 18 total tackles and one sack in the regular season. But is this trade even worth it for the Raiders?
Secondary Concerns Add Confusion
More than just Bennett’s play on the field, the Raiders are seriously lacking in the secondary department.
Safety Lonnie Johnson Jr. recently suffered a broken fibula after he collided with Maxx Crosby while attempting to tackle Raheem Mostert during practice. Knowing the secondary is thin, the Raiders have been experimenting, moving several safeties, including Jeremy Chinn, to make up for the lack of depth at cornerback. But now things just got much worse.
With Bennett gone, that leaves the Raiders’ CB room to consist of rookie Darien Porter, free agent signing Eric Stokes, Darnay Holmes, Sam Webb, and Decamerion Richardson as the main guys. Not exactly Carroll’s Legion of Boom from his days in Seattle.
It’s an unfortunate situation for the Raiders, having one of their young-and-ascending corners end up as the odd man out, but the hope is this trade doesn’t come back to haunt them.
And the hope is that Booker can attempt to fill the void left by Christian Wilkins, or at least part of it. Because if not, this trade could backfire in a huge way for the Raiders.
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