Las Vegas Raiders just made an odd decision that doesn’t support one of their 2025 NFL Draft plans they acted on
The Las Vegas Raiders have been known to make some questionable decisions here and there over the history of the franchise. But, I’m not sure anyone saw the new regime making the decision they just did.Pete Carroll and John Spytek know what they’re doing better than any of us, so let’s start by prefacing that. […]
The Las Vegas Raiders have been known to make some questionable decisions here and there over the history of the franchise. But, I’m not sure anyone saw the new regime making the decision they just did.
Pete Carroll and John Spytek know what they’re doing better than any of us, so let’s start by prefacing that. But this decision they just made is pretty odd. Or, maybe there is something that we just don’t know. Either way, trading your best cornerback statistically, that is, for a depth defensive tackle who could barely play, is a bit odd.
On Monday, the Raiders did just that. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Raiders traded cornerback Jakorian Bennett for defensive tackle Thomas Booker. Yes, I know, you may not have ever heard that name before, but that is a real trade that happened.
And, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense, no matter how you spin it.
Raiders trade Jakorian Bennett for Thomas Booker, but why?
The theory is that Bennett simply does not fit the way Pete Carroll likes to play. But, I’m not buying that, because he does fit the way Patrick Graham plays his defense, and we know that because he’s done it the last two years, and last year he did it at a very high level.
Before spending the rest of the season on IR, Bennett led the league in pass breakups by Week 10, and that was all with a shoulder injury that he played through until finally the team told him he needed surgery. His biggest flaw has been availability, because other than that, he’s a damn good cornerback.
Bennett runs a 4.30 40 yard dash, and has used that speed to his advantage very well on the outside. So, why did they trade him? Some will tell you defensive tackle depth with Christian Wilkins gone, but that’s not why. It can’t be.
And, it can’t be because that’s the exact reason they drafted not one, but two defensive tackles in the 2025 NFL Draft, to prepare for the Wilkins situation. Yes, they needed depth there, but Jonah Laulu has been the talk of the town at training camp. They needed depth there, but not enough to trade away your best cornerback.
So, this means that they have a ton of faith in what Darien Porter, Decameron Richardson, and Eric Stokes are going to do. This now means that Stokes is a starter. Oh, and by the way, if they traded Bennett because of the defensive style, which is not why, then why did they keep Stokes, who is worse than Bennett, more expensive, plays the exact same way, and is almost the same size as Bennett, just an inch or two taller.
It’s an odd decision, but what do I know? Honestly, this could all be nothing and it’s just a case of being the odd man out in a CB battle with a new head coach. Or, maybe he hasn’t bounced back like he’d hoped after the torn labrum.
