PHILADELPHIA -- Jakorian Bennett thought about all he had to overcome on a five-hour red-eye flight to Philadelphia on Tuesday night. Bennett arrived in his new city at 7 a.m. the next morning, and was at Eagles practice two hours later. He packed two suitcases and his cleats, leaving everything behind in Las Vegas -- including his precarious end with the Raiders.
"I got a whole house there, so everything," Bennett said. "I'll figure that out."
As Bennett contemplated his journey to get to this point, he realized there's no need to convince himself what type of player he is. His play on the field will take care of any reservations the Eagles may have with their new acquisition.
"I'm just trying to go out there and the best version of JB," Bennett said. "I know the player I am, I know the player I can be, so whatever that is. That's football, you always want to compete."
The Eagles acquired Bennett earlier this week in a trade with the Raiders, adding even more intrigue to the battle for the No. 2 cornerback job opposite Quinyon Mitchell. Kelee Ringo and Adoree' Jackson have been up-and-down throughout the first 10 practices of training camp, and both players struggled against the Bengals' first-team offense in the preseason opener on Thursday night.
Joe Burrow went 4 of 4 for 79 yards and a touchdown pass when targeting Ringo, a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Jackson wasn't much better, as Burrow finished 4 of 5 for 45 yards targeting him -- a 104.2 passer rating.
Ringo got the first-team reps in 11-on-11s on Day 11 of training camp practice Saturday, while Bennett was still getting acclimated to the defense with the third team (Saturday was Bennett's first practice).
"I was just trying to fly around and hit whatever I see," Bennett said. "I see an opportunity to just compete and do whatever I can to help the team win. At the end of the day, that's the type of player I am. I just want to help the team win."
Jakorian Bennett trade grades: Eagles bring in new contender to CB competition, Raiders add DT depth
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Bennett's improbable journey
Bennett is the definition of an underdog, going back to his days at McGill-Toolen Catholic High School in Mobile, Alabama. Failing to crack the starting lineup for three years, Bennett finally earned the opportunity to start in his senior year at McGill-Toolen. He wanted to prove himself and give his team an opportunity to win games, challenging himself against the top receiver on every team he faced.
Despite not allowing a reception the whole season, no Division I offers came Bennett's way. He had to settle for Hutchinson Community College in Kansas before playing well enough to transfer to the University of Maryland. Before arriving at Maryland, the zero Division I offers went up to 27 -- and the zero-star rating went up to a three-star rating.
During the plane ride to Philadelphia, Bennett thought about those moments and all the hard work he put in to even get to the point where a team like the Eagles wanted him.
"It happened so fast, it wasn't really like thoughts," Bennett said. "I'm just blessed to play this game. A lot of people don't really get to play, like 1%. I went JUCO first, so I've seen the statistic to where .04% of players who went to JUCO make it to the NFL. And I'm .04%, so I'm just blessed wherever I play."
The NFL turnaround
Even after three good years at Maryland, Bennett fell to Day 3 of the draft as the Raiders were able to get him one pick before the Eagles (who took Ringo with their pick in the fourth round). Bennett started four games with the Raiders, but was marred by inconsistent play. As the primary defender in coverage, opposing quarterbacks had a 74.1 passer rating targeting Bennett, and he allowed 7.7 yards per attempt.
Through Bennett's struggles, he didn't doubt his ability to play -- even if the snaps were limited towards the end of the season.
"When you see something so many times, it starts to slow down," Bennett said. "When stuff starts to slow down then you can just go out and play, be free, and have fun. That's when I'm at my best when I'm not thinking, and I'm just out there just playing."
Another year in the NFL paid massive dividends for Bennett. Opposing quarterbacks targeting Bennett had just a 52.1 passer rating targeting him and threw for just 4.4 yards per attempt. Bennett established himself as a good cover corner, even with his season being cut short with a shoulder injury,
"Just from that rookie year, I couldn't anticipate stuff like how I wanted to," Bennett said. "But that second year I was just out there playing, playing like who I know I am."
Trade to Philadelphia
Bennett was arguably the Raiders' best cornerback heading into the season, but fell out of favor with head coach Pete Carroll due to his lack of size (5-foot-10 and 200 pounds). Carroll wants bigger cornerbacks with range, which just isn't Bennett.
Losing confidence after being placed down the depth chart (in spite of consistent play), Bennett had a feeling his future with the Raiders was dire. The Eagles exchanged defensive tackle Thomas Booker for Bennett, giving the third-year cornerback a chance to compete for a starting job in Philadelphia.
"It felt like a good fit," Bennett said. "I feel like I'm a person who loves to prepare, who needs preparation, so I'm gonna do everything I have to do to study the right way and just catch up where the guys are right now."
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio isn't handing Bennett anything, and the Eagles newest addition would rather have it that way. His play on the field will do the convincing.
"I mean everybody's got the right to compete out here," Fangio said. "I think we need to get his feet under him and get our eyes on him and see what happens over the next few weeks.
"We're going to find out here soon. Just throw him into the action and see what he's got."
