One of the biggest position battles took center stage on Thursday night when the Philadelphia Eagles battled the Cincinnati Bengals in their preseason opener. The 34-27 victory featured several starters taking the night off but that wasn’t the case as Philadelphia tries to find their starting cornerbacks for the upcoming season.
Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell are locked in as starters going into the season. Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson were battling for the final starting spot but both corners struggled going up against the Bengals’ high-powered offense. It put a dent in both players’ campaign to become a starter for the defending Super Bowl champions but it also raised the stock of a new addition who didn’t even play in Thursday’s game.
New Eagles Jakorian Bennett Has a Golden Opportunity After First Preseason Game
The Eagles made some headlines going into the preseason opener by acquiring Jakorian Bennett from the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday morning. A third-year veteran, Bennett showed improvement in his first season to his second season, cutting his passer rating allowed from 102.3 in his rookie season to 62.4 in his sophomore campaign. But his 5-foot-11, 195-pound frame wasn’t the prototypical size in Pete Carroll’s scheme and he was traded for defensive tackle Thomas Booker.
“Obviously, we’ll miss [Booker] and wish him the best,” Nick Sirianni said of the trade this week via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “We feel good about our depth at defensive tackle, but just a way to add some depth there at corner. …We liked [Bennett’s] tape coming out. We liked his tape when he was with the Raiders, and just that he’s got speed, coverage ability and special teams value, so we’re excited to have him.”
The timetable didn’t allow Bennett to play in Thursday’s game and Sirianni was non-committal about having Bennett take part in the starting cornerback competition. But Thursday’s game may have helped Bennett throw his name into the ring without even seeing the field.
Ringo was one of Thursday’s biggest disappointments. There’s no shame in getting torched by Bengals star Ja’Marr Chase, who grabbed four passes for 77 yards and 36-yard touchdown catch on Ringo’s coverage in the first quarter. But Brooks Kubena of The Athletic noted that Chase’s touchdown came on a Cover 0 blitz, which demands cornerbacks to hold their own in man-to-man coverage.
That didn’t happen on that play and while Sirianni lamented his team’s tackling to limit the damage, Ringo will likely be put into the coaching staff and the fan base for his role on the play.
“He makes a good play,” Ringo said of the touchdown via Gabriela Carroll of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “Good player makes a good play. I’ve got to come out there and just approach it a little bit better.”
While Ringo didn’t play well, Jackson didn’t do himself any favors. While Joe Burrow and Chase are a tough matchup for any duo, Jackson continued to struggle when backup Jake Browning came in, allowing a 21-yard reception to Charlie Jones.
With Jackson and Ringo rotating first team reps during training camp, the battle for the second starting corner continues to be an intense one. Adding Bennett should make it more intense and he could get his shot as the Eagles host a joint practice and a preseason game against the Cleveland Browns next week.