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Jakorian Bennett

Eagles Place CB Jaire Alexander On Reserve/Retired List

November 12th, 2025 at 9:07am CST by Connor Byrne

Eagles cornerback Jaire Alexander stepped away from football on Tuesday to focus on his physical and mental health. It turns out that Alexander’s career may be over. The Eagles placed him on the reserve/retired list on Wednesday and activated cornerback Jakorian Bennett from IR in a corresponding move.

Now 28 years old, Alexander entered the NFL as a Packers first-rounder (No. 18 overall) in 2018. The former Louisville Cardinal quickly emerged as one of the league’s best corners. He earned two second-team All-Pro nods and a pair of Pro Bowl invitations during his first five seasons in the league. Alexander totaled 10 interceptions during that 62-game span.

The Packers signed Alexander to a four-year, $84MM extension before the 2022 season, which will go down as his most productive campaign. Alexander picked off a career-best five passes during a 16-start season, but he was unable to stay healthy after that.

After groin, back, shoulder, and knee injuries limited Alexander to 14 of a possible 34 regular-season games from 2023-24, the Packers released him last June. He quickly caught on with the Ravens on a one-year, $6MM deal, but the union didn’t work out for either side. Alexander dealt with a knee injury and appeared in just two games with Baltimore, which traded him and a 2027 seventh-round pick to Philadelphia for a 2026 sixth-rounder on Nov. 1.

Although Alexander expressed optimism about his health after the trade, he wasn’t active for the Eagles’ win over the Packers in Week 10. It now appears his career has come to an end.

While the Eagles are losing Alexander, Bennett is returning to bolster their corner depth. Acquired from the Raiders in August, Bennett played in three games and picked up 44 snaps (24 on defense, 20 on special teams) before the Eagles placed him on IR with a pectoral injury on Sept. 24.

Bennett will give the Eagles another option on the outside behind starters Quinyon Mitchell and Adoree’ Jackson. Slot standout Cooper DeJean, Michael Carter II, Kelee Ringo, and Mac McWilliams comprise the rest of the Eagles’ corners.

NFL Minor Transactions: 10/22/25

October 22nd, 2025 at 7:36pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s midweek minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Designated to return from IR: QB Will Howard
  • Waived (with injury settlement): T Gareth Warren

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

While several players were designated to return from injured reserve today, Norton and Johnson’s designations took place back on 8/26, the roster cut deadline. The Texans are in danger of being without their top three receivers in Week 8. Tank Dell is already on IR, but Nico Collins and Christian Kirk’s statuses for the weekend are up in the air as Collins deals with a concussion and Kirk has been dealing with n hamstring injury.

Not that they’ve needed him, since Aaron Rodgers has looked a bit more effective than he was in his days with the Jets, but Howard is nearing a return to the roster for the remainder of his rookie season. It will be interesting to see where the sixth-rounder slots in on the depth chart as he adds another level of security behind the 41-year-old Rodgers.

Eagles Place LB Nolan Smith On IR

September 25th, 2025 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

SEPTEMBER 25: Bennett revealed on Friday (via ESPN’s Tim McManus) his IR move was brought about by a pectoral injury. The issue has been in place since Week 1, but during Sunday’s win over the Rams it was “tweaked.” Bennett will look to reprise his depth role upon returning to full health.

SEPTEMBER 24: The Eagles lost two pass-rushing pillars during the offseason, seeing Brandon Graham retire and Josh Sweat sign with the Cardinals. Those moves increased Nolan Smith‘s importance to the team.

Philadelphia will need to get by without its top edge rusher for the foreseeable future, however. The team placed Smith on IR today, with cornerback Jakorian Bennett joining the young sack artist in being sidelined for at least four games via an IR transition. Philly also placed wide receiver Darius Cooper on IR.

None of these injuries are believed to be season-ending, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s EJ Smith, who adds surgeries are not expected for Smith, Bennett or Cooper. All would be eligible to return in Week 8, but with the Eagles’ bye in Week 9, an extra recovery week will factor into the club’s decision-making here. Indeed, The Athletic’s Zack Berman indicates the Eagles hope each will be recovered around the bye.

Smith tweaked the triceps injury he had surgically addressed, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. He suffered a strained triceps muscle in Week 3, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who indicates an injury absence that runs through Philly’s Week 9 bye is anticipated. An aggravation months later is certainly a storyline to follow for the Eagles, particularly given Smith’s impact on their pass rush. For now, the expectation is a midseason return.

The 2023 first-round pick suffered a triceps tear in Super Bowl LIX, joining Graham in sustaining that injury during the Eagles’ February romp. Graham re-tore the triceps he rehabbed, and Smith has now aggravated his. The key difference here being Graham did not undergo surgery during his speedy recovery, while Smith did go under the knife this offseason.

Despite their 3-0 record, the Eagles have struggled to pressure quarterbacks this season. They have three sacks in three games; Smith has yet to record one, while new starter Jalyx Hunt is also sackless through three games. More pressure will be on Hunt, a former third-rounder, now. The Eagles did make a key addition before Week 2, ending Za’Darius Smith‘s free agency stay. The nomadic edge rusher will be expected to play a bigger role moving forward. Za’Darius Smith, 33, has three double-digit sack seasons on his resume and recorded nine between stays in Cleveland and Detroit last year.

Tallying only one QB hit this season, Nolan Smith notched 6.5 sacks and 11 QB hits in 2024. The speed rusher came up big in the playoffs, registering four sacks during the Eagles’ three NFC postseason games and two hits on Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. This represents a key year for Nolan Smith, whose fifth-year option will need to be exercised or declined shortly after the draft. How he fares to close out this season could well determine how Philly proceeds there.

The Eagles’ late-summer trade binge included a Bennett addition, nabbing him from the Raiders. Bennett has played a small part on defense early, logging only 24 defensive snaps. He started 11 games with the Raiders from 2023-24. A former UDFA, Cooper has only played 20 offensive snaps. He does not have a reception in his pro career yet.

Philly signed safety Marcus Epps, tight end Cameron Latu and cornerback Parry Nickerson to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. Linebacker Lance Dixon, cornerback Eli Ricks and wideout Quez Watkins are now on the P-squad.

Raiders Trade CB Jakorian Bennett To Eagles For DT Thomas Booker

August 4th, 2025 at 10:24pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

In a rare preseason player-for-player deal, the Raiders are trading cornerback Jakorian Bennett to the Eagles in return for defensive tackle Thomas Booker, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Both players will have to pass a physical for the trade to go through, according to The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena.

Bennett, a 2023 fourth-round pick, started four games as a rookie before stepping into a bigger role with seven starts in 2024. He commanded a 71% snap share in the Raiders’ first 10 games before a shoulder injury sidelined him for the rest of the year. Despite seeming to prove himself in Las Vegas, Bennett may not have fit into new head coach Pete Carroll‘s plans for this season.

The Raiders are confident in their other cornerbacks, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, including free agent signing and projected starter Eric Stokes. Bennett had been working consistently with the Raiders’ second-string defense, per ESPN.com’s Ryan McFadden. Stokes and third-round rookie Darien Porter had been receiving most of the first-team reps, and Bennett will receive a fresh start. Two years remain on his rookie contract.

In Philadelphia, Bennett is expected to compete for the Eagles’ open outside cornerback job with Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has indicated that neither player has stood out at this point, and Bennett could mix up the competition further.

Booker, meanwhile, was deemed surplus to requirements in the Eagles’ talented young defensive line room with players like Gabe Hall and Byron Young impressing in training camp, per the Inquirer’s EJ Smith. Originally a 2022 fifth-round pick by the Texans, Booker appeared in 10 games as a rookie but was waived during roster cuts in 2023. He spent the year on the Eagles’ practice squad, earned a 53-man roster spot in 2024, and appeared in every game during the team’s championship season.

Booker will now join a Raiders defensive line room that just lost Christian Wilkins as well as 2024 starter John Jenkins earlier in the offseason. Adam Butler, Jonah Laulu, and Zachary Carter are all returning from last year’s unit with a handful of inexpensive veterans and rookies behind them. Booker will join that group competing for a depth role, though his 53-man roster chances are boosted by the fact that the Raiders moved to acquire him.

Latest On Raiders’ Secondary Plans

June 23rd, 2025 at 9:01am CST by Adam La Rose

The free agent departures of Tre’von Moehrig and Nate Hobbs created notable vacancies in the secondary for Las Vegas. The team will have a number of new faces in place this year as a result, and training camp will see multiple battles for starting spots take place.

During OTAs, free agent addition Eric Stokes and third-round rookie Darien Porter handled starting duties at the cornerback spots. Those two are in line to remain atop the depth chart through the summer as a result, but other options will content for a fist-team gig. One of those is Jakorian Bennett, whom The Athletic’s Tashan Reed notes is the top contender to earn a starter’s role during training camp (subscription required).

Bennett joined the Raiders as a fourth-round pick in 2023. He notched four starts as a rookie before seeing a notable jump in playing time last year. The 24-year-old logged a 71% snap share on defense, totaling eight pass breakups and managing to avoid allowing a touchdown as the nearest defender in coverage. Bennett has two years remaining on his rookie deal, so he will provide the Raiders with a cost-effective CB option even if he is unable to unseat Stokes and Porter this summer (an effort which will be aided once he recovers in full from a torn labrum suffered in November).

Darnay Holmes – who was only a part-time defender in 2024, his debut season with the Raiders – is in line to handle a notable role in the slot, Reed adds. Vegas could use a number of three-safety looks this season, though, especially given free agent addition Jeremy Chinn‘s tendency to play near the line of scrimmage. In cases where three safeties were used this spring, Lonnie Johnson Jr. came onto the field. The seven-year veteran could therefore find himself handling a notable workload on his latest team.

While the Raiders are not in the market for Jalen Ramsey, they have the cap space to make an addition or two in the secondary. One veteran corner who could be of interest, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is Mike Hilton. The 31-year-old remains on the free agent market with his four-year Bengals run having come to an end. A veteran of 123 games and 56 starts, Hilton would give the Raiders another experienced option in the slot.

Plenty of time remains for the team to make moves affecting the secondary. Regardless of what takes place during the first training camp with the new regime, though, that unit will be one to watch closely.

Raiders Could Field New-Look Starting Secondary

June 14th, 2025 at 5:18pm CST by Ely Allen

Looking at how things are going in offseason workouts so far, there’s a chance that the Raiders could see only one starter from last year’s secondary return with the first-team defense in 2025. We already saw a free agent exchange at safety, with Tre’von Moehrig being replaced by Jeremy Chinn after signing with the Panthers. Now, according to ESPN’s Ryan McFadden, both of last year’s starting cornerbacks are working with the second team this summer.

In his report earlier this week, McFadden noted that, so far in Organized Team Activities, it’s been free agent addition Eric Stokes and rookie third-round pick Darien Porter running on the first-team defense, while Jakorian Bennett and Decamerion Richardson, who tied for the second-most starts in the team’s cornerbacks room last year, are getting reps on the second team.

This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Last year, the Raiders didn’t have a single cornerback rank in the top half of players at the position with enough snaps to qualify for Pro Football Focus’s rankings system (subscription required). Nate Hobbs (72nd of 116) was the highest ranked corner on the team, and Jack Jones (102nd) was cut after starting 16 games in 2024. Bennett (85th) and Richardson (114th) were then tasked with holding off Stokes, who ranked 72nd in Green Bay last year, and the rookie, Porter.

Though Stokes has never started for a full season, he’s got plenty of experience on first-team defenses after starting 32 of 45 appearances during his time with the Packers. Statistically and analytically, Stokes’ rookie campaign was by far his best. That year, he started 14 games, nabbed an interception, and registered 14 passes defensed, earning him a ranking of 45th out of 116 cornerbacks, per PFF. After a disappointing start to his sophomore season, injuries set in. Stokes ended up missing 22 of 25 games leading up to last year, when he appeared in every game of the season.

Porter’s early starting role comes as a bit of a surprise. Coming into the NFL at 24 years old after a six-year collegiate career at Iowa State, Porter only has seven starts under his belt. Originally a wide receiver commit for the Cyclones, Porter switched to cornerback in his fourth year with the team. After serving as a rotational defender in his first two year on defense, Porter got all seven starts in his sixth year as the team’s CB3. After only seeing four passes defensed in his first two defensive seasons, Porter broke out last year with five passes defensed and three interceptions. That meteoric rise appears set to continue in Las Vegas.

A fourth-round pick two years ago, Bennett started four games as a rookie. He started seven of the team’s first 10 games last season as he tried to play through a torn labrum, per Tashan Reed of The Athletic, but the injury worsened and led Bennett to undergo season-ending surgery. Now, Bennett has two hurdles to overcome as he attempts to earn back a starting role while trying to get back to form following the surgery. Richardson was the one to step in for Bennett in the starting lineup to close out the season. Quarterbacks targeting Richardson completed 30 of 46 passes for 459 yards and three touchdowns during his rookie season.

We still have a long way to go before the start of the season, so any number of updates could change the outlook for the depth chart. At the moment, though, it’s looking like safety Isaiah Pola-Mao could be the only starter from last year’s secondary to return to his role in 2025.

Raiders Activate QB Aidan O’Connell, Place CB Jakorian Bennett On IR

November 28th, 2024 at 12:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

Aidan O’Connell will indeed be in place for the Raiders for their Black Friday contest. The second-year quarterback was activated from injured reserve on Thursday, per a team announcement.

[RELATED: IR Return Tracker]

O’Connell was designated for return earlier this week with the expectation he would be activated in time to start against the Chiefs tomorrow. The QB1 gig will be his the rest of the way this year given Gardner Minshew‘s broken collarbone. Minshew was officially moved to IR in a corresponding move.

The Raiders have been linked to a quarterback pursuit this offseason given their struggles on offense, although both Minshew and O’Connell are under contract for 2025. The latter has made 12 total starts in the NFL, but after showing a degree of promise late last season the current campaign has not gone according to plan. O’Connell, 26, will be joined on the depth chart by Desmond Ridder over the coming weeks but it would come as no surprise if one or more new signal-callers were to be added this offseason.

Vegas also placed cornerback Jakorian Bennett on IR Thursday. The 2023 fourth-rounder handled rotational duties as a rookie but he has been a mainstay in the secondary this season. Bennett has logged a defensive snap share of 71% this season, posting 26 tackles and eight pass deflections. In coverage, the Maryland product has allowed a completion percentage of just 52.3% and has yet to surrender a touchdown as the nearest defender. His absence (which will last at least the next four games) will be acutely felt in the Raiders’ secondary.

The Bennett move opened up a spot on the active roster, and it has been filled by wideout Terrace Marshall. The former Panthers draftee was waived during roster cutdowns and he briefly spent time on the 49ers’ practice squad. Marshall has most recently been with Vegas, and has been used as a gameday elevation once already. The former second-rounder will now get a look on the roster as he looks to carve out a role in the team’s receiving corps.

CB Rumors: Bennett, Steelers, Ravens, Jags

August 9th, 2024 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a part-time role as a rookie, Jakorian Bennett appears close to securing a starting job. The Raiders have pitted the second-year player against veteran Brandon Facyson, but a gap appears between the two as preseason play begins. While more evaluation time remains, The Athletic’s Vic Tafur classifies Bennett as well ahead of Facyson to start on the outside opposite Jack Jones (subscription required). The Raiders have made some changes to their CB group from last year, giving up on Marcus Peters before the 2023 season ended and letting four-year contributor Amik Robertson join the Lions in free agency.

Although Las Vegas drafted CBs in the fourth and seventh rounds, Bennett and Facyson are the primary players competing for the perimeter job to join Jones and slot man Nate Hobbs. Bennett logged 360 defensive snaps, starting four games, as a rookie but impressed during training camp. Not viewed as likely to pursue a veteran addition here, the Raiders appear set to count on the 2023 fourth-rounder.

Here is the latest from the cornerback ranks:

  • The Steelers brought back Cameron Sutton but saw him hit with an eight-game suspension for an offseason domestic violence arrest, leaving Donte Jackson as the obvious Joey Porter Jr. sidekick for at least the season’s first half. The team could soon be in the corner market, per ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who notes the lack of a solidified slot presence as another reason for such an effort. Releasing Patrick Peterson this offseason, the Steelers did not re-sign veteran slot Chandon Sullivan. Rookie UDFA Beanie Bishop has, however, shown promise with first-team slot reps, according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. The 5-foot-9 product, who attended three colleges (Western Kentucky, Minnesota, West Virginia), led Division I-FBS in pass breakups (20) last season. Barring an addition, Bishop looks to have a decent chance to line up alongside Porter and Jackson. He has worked with the first-string defense extensively during camp.
  • Former Steelers CB regular Arthur Maulet is set to miss regular-season time due to a knee injury. While John Harbaugh does not expect this issue to threaten too much of the veteran’s season, the Ravens will need another answer. As of now, fourth-year UDFA Ar’Darius Washington appears to be the pack leader. After a chest injury cost Washington most of last season, he returned late in the campaign via IR activation. Despite playing all of eight regular-season games in three seasons, Washington has earned the confidence of Ravens coaches and looks to be the answer at nickel while Maulet recovers, The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec notes.
  • No cornerback who signed an extension this offseason received a higher AAV than Tyson Campbell, whose base-value number checks in at $19.13MM, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. That comes in ahead of Jaylon Johnson and L’Jarius Sneed, though the did better on guarantees at signing than the Jaguars CB, who scored $31.4MM up front. Though, an $11.5MM Campbell 2026 option bonus will become fully guaranteed in 2025, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes. Campbell’s 2026 base salary ($16.16MM) also shifts from an injury guarantee at signing to a full guarantee in 2025. The fourth-year defender also will see $8.84MM of his $15MM 2027 base salary shift from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee in 2026. The increasingly popular rolling guarantee structure represents a player-friendly arrangement for Campbell, making his 11th-place ranking in terms of full guarantees deceiving. If on Jacksonville’s roster in March 2026, Campbell will see $53.4MM guaranteed.

Raiders Not Planning Free Agent Additions?

June 7th, 2024 at 2:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the initial waves of free agency along with the draft having taken place, many teams around the NFL do not have the cap space to make a notable splash this summer. The Raiders have plenty of spending power, but a noteworthy acquisition should not be expected.

[RELATED: Josh Jacobs Confirms No Raiders Talks Occurred Before Packers Deal]

Vegas was one of the teams which executed a post-June 1 release in 2024, moving on from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo after one season in Sin City. That created $24MM in cap space, bringing the Raiders’ available funds to roughly $34MM. Rather than committing a portion of that to an immediate addition, the team is planning to keep it for in-season breathing space and future use, Tashan Reed of The Athletic reports (subscription required).

The addition of defensive tackle Christian Wilkins (four years, $110MM) represents the team’s most lucrative outside deal this offseason. Other big-ticket financial moves include the recent acceleration of compensation on edge rusher Maxx Crosby‘s deal and the signing of quarterback Gardner Minshew. A number of veterans remain on the free agent market, but interest from new Raiders GM Tom Telesco does not appear to be high.

As Reed notes, Vegas sees the remaining list of available players as negligible upgrades at positions such as cornerback. Nate Hobbs is set to start in the slot, with Jack Jones in line for a first-team role on the outside. Who will join the latter on the perimeter remains to be seen, but both Reed and Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal write that 2023 Jakorian Bennett has received the most starter’s reps so far this offseason.

By passing on an addition at the CB spot (which could involve the arrival of a player like Stephon Gilmore, J.C. Jackson, Steven Nelson, Adoree’ Jackson or Patrick Peterson), the Raiders will leave funds available for moves at other positions if they become necessary. Poor performance or injuries this summer could require a deal which is not currently deemed necessary. On a larger scale, Reed notes Vegas likely does not see 2024 as the season for a serious run at a Super Bowl, meaning rolling over funds into next year would be a logical approach.

Bonsignore also notes the Raiders should not be expected to aggressively seek out a move with the funds opened up by Garoppolo’s release. Position battles amongst the team’s in-house options will thus be worth watching closely as the rest of the offseason unfolds.

Zamir White Expected To Be Raiders’ RB Starter; Jack Jones ‘Set’ As Starting CB

May 7th, 2024 at 9:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the more eventful days in running back history, transactionally speaking, occurred March 11. More than a third of the league either signed a veteran starter or lost one, with several clubs in both camps. The Raiders ended up only in the first section, losing Josh Jacobs to the Packers hours into the legal tampering period.

More moves affecting 2023 starters occurred soon after, as the Raiders added primary Vikings first-stringer Alexander Mattison a week into free agency. While Mattison worked as Minnesota’s initial Dalvin Cook replacement last year, the Raiders might not be readying a competition to fill the spot Jacobs held for five years.

[RELATED: Raiders’ Josh Jacobs Offer Not Close To Packers’ Proposal]

The Raiders brought in Mattison as a player who will work as a sidekick to Zamir White, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. White filled in for Jacobs as the Las Vegas starter over the final four games last season. He totaled 100-plus rushing yards in two of those tilts. Two seasons remain on White’s rookie contract, giving him a path to take over as a multiyear option for the Raiders.

The Vikings released Mattison one year into a two-year contract; the Raiders gave him a one-year, $2MM deal. The former third-round pick’s run as Cook’s replacement did not go well. While the Vikings look to have picked the right offseason to jettison Cook, their run game ranked 29th. Mattison averaged 3.9 yards per carry and did not score a rushing touchdown. The Vikings joined the Raiders in investing a 2022 Day 3 pick on a back (Ty Chandler), and Jacobs’ Green Bay arrival led Aaron Jones to Minneapolis. Mattison, 25, fared better as a Cook spot starter in prior years; the Raiders will give him a chance to mix in behind White, who is going into his age-25 season.

Elsewhere on the Las Vegas depth chart, Bonsignore adds Jack Jones is “set” as a starting cornerback. The ex-Patriots draftee is on track to work as one of the Raiders’ boundary starters, with a competition in the works for the role alongside he and slot cog Nate Hobbs. Considering where Jones stood prior to the Raiders claiming him, a route to a clear-cut starting role is interesting.

Jones undoubtedly benefited from ownership’s decision to remove Antonio Pierce‘s interim tag. Pierce coached Jones at both Long Beach Poly High and then at Arizona State. Jones, 26, ran into off-field trouble in college and in the NFL. An arrest for trying to bring a loaded gun onto a plane overshadowed Jones’ 2023 offseason, and the 2022 fourth-round pick fell out of favor with Bill Belichick late last season. The Patriots waived Jones after he had missed curfew in Germany.

The Raiders upped the talented corner’s usage rate shortly after the November waiver claim, using him as a starter over the final three games. Jones delivered a memorable stretch, which included pick-sixes in back-to-back games. A 2022 starter who encountered speedbumps last year — which also featured an IR stint following a September hamstring injury — Jones is on steadier ground with his second NFL team.

The team let Amik Robertson walk (to the Lions) in free agency and did not draft a corner until Round 4. The Raiders used fourth- and seventh-round picks at the position, but the team is planning to have Jones and Hobbs as locked-in starters. Jakorian Bennett and the reacquired Brandon Facyson may be the early leaders for the other boundary CB job, Bonsignore adds, with the rookies (Decamerion Richardson, M.J. Devonshire) in the mix now as well.

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