The Eagles have traded interior defensive lineman Thomas Booker to the Raiders for outside cornerback Jakorian Bennett, a league source confirmed Monday evening.
The deal was first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and is pending physicals for both players.
Booker, originally a 5th-round pick of the Texans in 2022, played in all 21 games for the Eagles last year with 166 defensive snaps in the regular season, 5th-most on the team among defensive tackles.
As Moro Ojomo played more and more, Booker’s snaps decreased, and he only got 11 defensive snaps in the playoffs, all at the end of blowout wins over the Commanders and Chiefs.
With Milton Williams and now Booker gone, the only interior linemen on the roster who played last year are Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Ojomo. The fourth interior lineman looks like it will be rookie 4th-round pick Ty Robinson out of Nebraska.
Because Robinson is an older rookie – he turned 24 in May – he pretty much has to play now because you don’t want to be in the business of taking time to groom a rookie who’s already 24. He’s had a good camp so far.
Bennett, the Raiders’ 4th-round pick in 2023 out of Maryland, played in 24 games with 11 starts over the last two years. He doesn’t have any career interceptions but he does have 11 passes deflected, including seven last year.
He played 360 defensive snaps as a rookie and 461 last year. He missed the last seven games of last season with a shoulder injury.
Out of 105 cornerbacks who played at least 400 snaps last year, Bennett ranked 82nd overall with a Pro Football Focus grade of 58.6 and 76th in coverage with a 61.0 grade.
Bennett gives the Eagles experienced depth at outside corner, where Quinyon Mitchell is the only sure thing. Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson are competing for the No. 2 outside spot and Vic Fangio said Monday Eli Ricks could enter that competition at some point. Cooper DeJean could play outside corner but has worked this summer in the slot and safety.
Also on the roster are rookie 5th-round pick Mac McWilliams from Central Florida, 30-year-old veteran Parry Nickerson, undrafted rookie Brandon Johnson from Oregon, 1st-year pro A.J. Woods, who spent time on the practice squad last year, and 26-year-old Tariq Castro-Fields.
Bennett, 24, had been practicing with the Raiders’ second defense behind projected starters Darien Porter, the Raiders’ 3rd-round pick last year, and free agent Eric Stokes, a former Packers 1st-round pick.
Booker, 25, played 10 games for the Texans in 2022. He was on the Eagles’ practice squad in 2023.
This is the first trade Eagles general manager has ever made with the Raiders. New Raiders general manager, John Spytek, hired in January, spent 2005 through 2009 in the Eagles’ scouting department with Roseman.
