The Philadelphia Eagles, recognizing the need for reinforcement in the secondary, took proactive steps to address it.
On Tuesday, the Eagles announced that they have acquired CB Jakorian Bennett from the Raiders in exchange for DT Thomas Booker.
Bennett, 24, started in seven of the 10 games he played in last season, and he had 26 tackles and eight passes defensed. However, after fighting through the season with a shoulder injury, the third-year veteran shut it down after Week 11 and had surgery to repair a torn labrum.
On Wednesday, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni gave his thoughts on the acquisition of Bennett.
“I think [Executive Vice President/General Manager] Howie [Roseman] does such a good job of continually trying to improve our football team,” Sirianni said. “No one does it better than he does, and we thought that was an opportunity to add some depth at corner. We feel good about our depth. Obviously, we’ll miss [DT Thomas Booker] Book and wish him the best. We feel good about our depth at defensive tackle, but just a way to add some depth there at corner.”
Bennett, who the Raiders selected in the fourth round in 2023, is a player that the Eagles liked coming out of college.
“We liked his tape coming out,” Sirianni said. “We liked his tape when he was with the Raiders, and just that he’s got speed, coverage ability, and special teams value, so we’re excited to have him.”
Before the trade to the Eagles, Bennett was in the mix to be a starter with the Raiders, and with this trade, he’ll be in the mix with Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo to be a starter with the Eagles. Moving Booker means the Eagles are happy with what they have at defensive tackle, and adding Bennett means Philadelphia feels like it needs more help in the secondary.
Leave a Reply