The Philadelphia Eagles are consistently active in seeking trades, and they completed another exchange of players during the initial week of the preseason. On Monday, Philadelphia sent defensive lineman Thomas Booker to the Las Vegas Raiders in return for cornerback Jakorian Bennett.
Bennett, who is 24 years old, was chosen by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2023 draft, coming from Maryland. He participated in 24 games (starting in 11) for the Raiders over the last two seasons, and despite only playing in 10 games last season, he was third on the team with eight passes defended.
Booker, aged 25, was initially drafted by the Houston Texans in the fifth round of the 2022 draft. After a season in Houston, the Stanford alumnus was released and then joined Philadelphia’s practice squad before the 2023 season. While he didn’t play in any games for Philadelphia that year, he was in all 21 games (including playoff games) last season, making 18 tackles and one sack as the fifth defensive tackle within a strong group of players for the Super Bowl-winning team.
Eagles-Raiders trade: Philadelphia acquiring CB Jakorian Bennett for DL Thomas Booker IV, per report
Zachary Pereles
In a trade involving young players, each with the potential to improve, which team benefited the most from this exchange? Below are assessments of the trade for both the Eagles and the Raiders.
Eagles: B
The Eagles face a challenge in determining who will start as the outside cornerback alongside Quinyon Mitchell, which is highlighted by their acquisition of Bennett through this trade. Neither Kelee Ringo nor Adoree’ Jackson has clearly stood out in the competition, with both players showing inconsistent performances during the Eagles’ nine training camp sessions.
Jackson’s contract is only for one year, valued at $1.5 million, so the Eagles are not heavily invested in him, other than providing him with a chance to secure a starting position. Ringo was a fourth-round selection in the 2023 draft and is still young at 23 (having turned 23 in June), and the Eagles have shown patience in allowing him to develop.
It’s possible that Ringo’s difficulties covering deep passes in training camp are the reason the Eagles decided to pursue Bennett, who was chosen just before Ringo in the 2023 draft. Bennett isn’t known for his tackling skills (ranking 185th out of 207 cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus), but he is skilled in coverage. Last season, quarterbacks targeting Bennett had a passer rating of only 52.1 when he was covering — he allowed no touchdown passes and had zero interceptions. Quarterbacks completed just 45% of their passes when targeting Bennett, averaging only 4.4 yards per attempt.
Bennett is now a definite contender for the starting outside cornerback position next to Mitchell. He has four weeks to adjust to the team’s system and outperform Ringo and Jackson. This move also gives the Eagles greater depth at the cornerback position, which could lead to Cooper DeJean playing more at safety.
The trade of players made sense for the Eagles because it adds more depth to a position that needed a reliable cornerback, regardless of whether Bennett starts or not. The best-case outcome for Bennett would be to secure the starting job and be in the lineup at outside cornerback by Week 1.
Raiders: B-
This is a notable move for the Raiders, as they traded Bennett, a starting cornerback, for Booker, a defensive tackle who adds depth. The Eagles already had considerable depth at defensive tackle with players like Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro Ojomo, and Ty Robinson, making Booker less crucial. Booker performed well during training camp and is capable of playing as a nose tackle in the five-technique and as a defensive tackle in the four-technique.
Booker is a capable pass rusher when given the opportunity and now has the chance to compete for significant playing time with the Raiders. The Raiders’ defensive tackle lineup includes Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, Leki Fotu, and rookie Tonka Hemingway. After releasing Christian Wilkins last month, the Raiders needed to add depth to the defensive tackle position.
Christian Wilkins timeline: Why Raiders chose to cut star lineman after injury, alleged locker room incident
Jordan Dajani
While Bennett has recovered from a torn labrum that restricted him to 10 games, his size (listed at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds) seemed to work against him, and Raiders coach Pete Carroll likely wanted to explore other options. Bennett was falling in the depth chart behind players such as Eric Stokes, Darien Porter, and Decamerion Richardson.
Letting go of a proven player like Bennett might not seem logical, but with a new coaching staff and system in place, other players are presented with improved opportunities. If Bennett had been cut, he likely would have been claimed by another team, which is why the Eagles traded a player from a position where they had depth.
Booker has the chance to become a starter in Las Vegas and is certainly in contention for substantial playing time.
