Thumbs up or down: Eagles writers weigh in on Jakorian Bennett-Thomas Booker trade

The Eagles acquired cornerback Jakorian Bennett from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for defensive tackle Thomas Booker on Tuesday. Here’s what The Inquirer’s beat writers think of the move.

This is a pretty easy thumbs-up from me, simply from an asset management standpoint.

The Eagles signed Booker to their practice squad after the Houston Texans released their 2022 fifth-round pick after one season. They continued to develop the young defensive tackle, and he carved out a rotational role on a Super Bowl winner last season.

But interior defensive line was a position at which the Eagles had a surplus, even after losing Milton Williams. They have one of the best players at his position, Jalen Carter, eating up a lot of snaps. There’s Jordan Davis ready for a bigger workload and Moro Ojomo itching to show how much he’s improved. Gabe Hall has come on in camp, and the Eagles also used a fourth-round pick on Ty Robinson.

All of that made Booker pretty expendable.

So the Eagles moved a player they’ve spent minimal resources on and who plays a position where they have depth and got back a player who can compete for a starting job at a position of need.

Could it turn out to be a bad move, and could Bennett, who is coming off a shoulder surgery and apparently fell out of favor with the Raiders, end up not factoring into the competition at corner? Sure, but this exercise is an instant reaction, and it’s an instant thumbs-up from this view.

From a positional standpoint alone, this move makes sense. The Eagles still are in the process of identifying the starting outside cornerback opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson have been contending for the role through the first two weeks of training camp, and while Vic Fangio said Monday that the competition is “close,” neither has emerged as the frontrunner.

In Bennett, the Eagles have a cornerback who could push Ringo and Jackson for the role or at least serve as depth in a young corps. Cornerback is more of a pressing need than defensive tackle, especially with Davis and Ojomo stepping into bigger roles this season and depth players such as Robinson, Hall, and Byron Young coming along nicely in camp.

» READ MORE: Five things to know about new Eagles cornerback Jakorian Bennett, from ‘Mighty Mouse’ to Maryland standout

But can Bennett actually earn the starting gig? I’m skeptical. He’s relatively undersized for the position at 5-foot-10, 200 pounds and is coming off shoulder surgery that ended his 2024 season. His coverage stats are solid, but his ability to finish as a tackler seems to be a work in progress. It’s also somewhat interesting that the team that had the sixth-highest expected points added per pass allowed (.03) in the league last year was willing to part ways with Bennett, although the Raiders are starting anew under Pete Carroll.

Ultimately, I think it makes sense to take a chance on a player with potential at a position of need, whether Bennett becomes the starter in Week 1 or not.