Jakorian Bennett sees ‘the opportunity’ in Eagles’ crowded cornerback battle
The crowded battle to play starting outside cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell are “pretty even right now,” according to defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Since his arrival in Philadelphia two weeks ago, Jakorian Bennett has regularly sent texts to his position coaches, defensive backs coach Christian Parker and cornerbacks coach Roy Anderson, with a request:
Hey, what time do you got free?
It doesn’t matter if the coaches have a spare 15 minutes during their lunch break or an extra hour after meetings. Bennett will take all the time he can get with Parker and Anderson, who are helping the 24-year-old cornerback learn the playbook as he gets up to speed in Vic Fangio’s defense.
» READ MORE: Vic Fangio: Eagles defensive roster battles ‘will probably’ continue into final preseason game
After all, Bennett knows what’s at stake over the next week. Fangio acknowledged on Monday that the players in contention for the starting outside cornerback job opposite Quinyon Mitchell are “pretty even right now.” For the bulk of training camp, Adoree’ Jackson and Kelee Ringo have been the primary contenders, but the acquisition of Bennett introduced a new option.
Fangio said he expects all the positional battles to continue into the third and final preseason game on Friday against the New York Jets. With an opportunity to start still up for grabs, Bennett is motivated to seek out information.
“I’m just trying to catch up,” Bennett said Monday. “‘Cause these [other cornerbacks], they’ve been battling with each other for a little minute before I got here. So I’m just trying to catch up, get up to speed so I can just go out there and do what I do.”
Bennett has been peppering Parker and Anderson with questions off the field so he can play fast and free when he’s on it. It’s easier said than done. “I’d be lying if I said it was easy,” to acclimate quickly to a new NFL team after spending two seasons with the team that drafted him, Bennett said.
He showed progress in his preseason debut on Sunday in the Eagles’ loss to the Cleveland Browns. After an up-and-down showing in joint practices, Bennett had the most captivating performance of all the cornerbacks in the team’s second exhibition game. Most notably, he made a pass breakup on a throw intended for Browns receiver Gage Larvadain, who was running a crossing route.
According to Pro Football Focus, Bennett conceded just one reception on three targets for 6 yards. His 33.3% targets caught against rate was the lowest among the seven Eagles cornerbacks who took at least 20 coverage snaps on Saturday. Bennett attributed his performance to his improved understanding of the defense.
“Just figuring the defense out,” Bennett said. “Figure out where’s my help, what everybody else is doing. ‘Cause obviously you can go out there and just do your job, but things slow down … it makes your job a lot easier when you know what everybody else is doing.”
Still, one strong performance won’t guarantee Bennett the starting job. Jackson has taken the majority of the first-team reps with Mitchell, a trend that continued on Monday when the defense was in the nickel package (Cooper DeJean took some reps at cornerback in base defense for the first time, then moved into the slot in nickel).
» READ MORE: Eagles practice observations: Cooper DeJean at outside corner; Drew Mukuba and Jihaad Campbell rising
Bennett, Ringo, and rookie Mac McWilliams worked with the second-team defense, with Ringo even mixing in with the third-stringers at one point for the first time in camp. While Bennett’s opportunities with the first-team defense have been limited, he has embraced his matchups against the Eagles’ top receivers, especially DeVonta Smith, with A.J. Brown sidelined due to a hamstring injury.
“He’s one of the best receivers for a reason,” Bennett said of Smith. “Especially, with our offense, they do a good job of their route concepts and stuff. It’s definitely been fun and I know it’s cliché, but iron sharpens iron. So when you go out there, you battle with those guys, it just makes the game a lot easier.”
Bennett isn’t just feeling more comfortable on the field. He’s also getting acclimated off it, as he befriends his newfound teammates in the defensive backs room.
In just two weeks’ time, Bennett said players such as DeJean, Mitchell, and Reed Blankenship have made him “feel like a brother.” They include him in dinners with the rest of the defensive backs. They laugh and joke with him as if they’ve known him forever.
“They definitely make me feel like I’ve been here the whole time,” Bennett said. “But I’m going on, what, two weeks now? Something like that.”
Bennett has an opportunity to take an even bigger step in his acclimation this week. Fangio said he will play a “good amount of reps” in the final preseason game before the Aug. 26 roster cutdown deadline.
» READ MORE: Eagles 53-man roster projection: Brett Toth misses the cut; John Metchie likely a lock
It’s clear that Bennett feels confident he will make the team. When asked if he plans on keeping No. 49 — an untraditional jersey number for a cornerback — this season, Bennett said it depends on the numbers that remain after the initial cuts.
But his role for the season remains up in the air. As he pours everything into his preparation this week, Bennett is determined to show what he can bring to the position.
“I just feel like it’s a good opportunity for me to just do what I do,” Bennett said. “That’s why I’m meeting, how I’m meeting, doing the things I’m doing.
“Obviously, I see the opportunity, so I’ve just got to go out there and be prepared and just play how I play.”