In the offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles made the drastic decision not to re-sign Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers Sr., signaling a new era in the secondary.
Eagles fans wondered what the team would do to fill in the CB2 spot, next to Quinyon Mitchell, who had an excellent rookie year. Philadelphia signed veteran cornerback Adoree’ Jackson to a cheap one-year deal to compete with Kelee Ringo, who is entering his third season with the team.
When it was announced that the Eagles were signing the former New York Giants cornerback, the fanbase wasn’t overly excited, especially when they could’ve brought Rodgers. But it set up the idea of having a competition between a veteran (Jackson) and a young player (Ringo).
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio likely hoped that Ringo or Jackson would pull away and establish themselves immediately at the starting outside cornerback spot. However, that didn’t happen.
Eagles CB Adoree’ Jackson Is on Borrowed Time in Philadelphia
The veteran defensive coordinator was blunt in his assessment of the competition in late July, telling reporters that Jackson needs “to show who he is or who he isn’t” after falling to do that in his two previous starts (Tennessee Titans and New York Giants).
The Eagles’ front office took notice of this and immediately added more competition, acquiring young cornerback Jakorian Bennett from the Las Vegas Raiders ahead of the first preseason game. It was a smart move by Howie Roseman as Jackson and Ringo both struggled against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The 29-year-old Jackson allowed four catches (five targets) for 45 yards and had a coverage grade of 42.2, per Pro Football Focus.
The Eagles’ CB2 battle is ongoing. Here are their numbers in coverage from the first preseason game, via @PFF
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) August 8, 2025
Kelee Ringo: 4 targets, 4 catches, 79 yards, 1 TD
Adoree’ Jackson: 5 targets, 4 catches, 45 yards
Then, in the Eagles’ second preseason game, Jackson only played 21 defensive snaps, which were noticeably fewer than Ringo (30) and Bennett (35). It was a sign that maybe Jackson had established himself as the Week 1 starter.
Finally, Jackson didn’t play in the preseason finale against the New York Jets, along with the other starters. Therefore, we can infer that Jackson will get the first shot at the CB2 spot, but he shouldn’t get comfortable.
Bennett has the speed and physicality to play on the outside, and flashed a little in the final two preseason games with his closing speed on the ball. Last season with the Raiders, Bennett had a 52.3 completion percentage allowed on targets and a 67.7 pass rating allowed when targeted in 10 games (seven games).
We saw what happened with Bryce Huff last season and how he completely fell out of the d-line rotation. After a so-so preseason, Jackson needs to have a good start to the season, or risk losing his spot to the 25-year-old Bennett.