This has been a whirlwind period of time for Jakorian Bennett, the newest Philadelphia Eagle who was acquired via trade with Las Vegas last night, jumped on a red-eye flight and arrived in Philadelphia in the wee hours of the morning into a buzz of activity.
That's the nature of the business in the NFL. Most players are guaranteed nothing, and they understand the reality of the world: Things can change in a hurry.
"Great culture, great guys and everybody is cool with each other," said Bennett, meeting the media for the first time after Saturday's practice at the NovaCare Complex. "They just want the best for each other, so that's a blessing. I just want to come and do my part, whatever that is and help the team win more games."
A fourth-round draft pick in 2023, Bennett is here to do his part adding competition to the cornerback position. There is nothing magical here. The Eagles liked Bennett in that 2023 NFL Draft, and they had an opportunity to deal a good defensive tackle, Thomas Booker, for a player they think can add speed, competitiveness and athleticism to a position that is clearly an open battle right now.
The Eagles have Quinyon Mitchell starting on one side, and he is one of the very best in the NFL at his position in his second season. Cooper DeJean is a standout nickel cornerback whom the Eagles want to be on the field this year – he has seen action in Training Camp as a safety alongside Reed Blankenship when the Eagles are in base personnel and then as a nickel when the Eagles bring in a fifth defensive back.
Opposite Mitchell has been the question. Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson have split first-team reps in camp. Ringo got the start on Thursday night and Jackson recorded four tackles. The Eagles are hopeful that somebody steps up and separates to earn the starting job.
Meanwhile, Eli Ricks had a solid game on Thursday and then on Saturday in practice picked off a pass in the red zone and returned it for a score. Rookie Mac McWilliams has shown up in Training Camp. Tariq Castro-Fields had three pass breakups on Thursday night.
You understand? This thing is wide open. And Bennett is here to show his best. He has to learn the scheme, the playbook and gain comfort with what passing game coordinator/defensive backs coach Christian Parker is teaching.
"I'm a person that loves to prepare and that needs preparation. I'm going to do everything I need to do to study the right way and just catch up to where the guys are right now," Bennett
said. "I'm just trying to be the best version of JB. I know the player I can be and whatever that is, that's football. That's my goal: Be the best version of myself.
"This is a winning organization, so just having that culture, that feeling, it was definitely different. I'm a guy that's gonna do my job. I'm going to play hard. I'm going to prepare the right way and whatever the coach needs me to do, I'm going to do it to the best of my ability."
That's the deal, folks. More talent added to the mix. There isn't a magic formula here and the Eagles understand that. They made a trade sending off one good player and receiving one back. Bennett has a lot to catch up on in a short period time, so that is all that matters now.
He's likely to play against Cleveland on Saturday after two days of work against the Browns in joint practices. We will get a good sense of what he's all about then and what impact he could have at cornerback, a position the Eagles are challenging in a big way midway through Training Camp, 2025.
