Raiders getting unexpected early edge on trade

During the preseason, the Las Vegas Raiders conducted business with the Philadelphia Eagles.

The trade saw the Raiders deal cornerback Jakorian Bennett in a one-for-one trade for defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV. While Booker did garner praise during training camp, many were concerned that losing Bennett weakened what was already a questionable cornerback room. When Bennett put together an excellent preseason for the Eagles, many guessed that the Raiders were just the latest team to get fleeced by Howie Roseman.

Three weeks into the season, however, and that narrative has shifted dramatically.

Booker has outperformed Bennett so far this season.

So far, Booker has established himself as a key cog to the Raiders defensive line, while Bennett has struggled to find playing time.

Booker has proved to be a quality pass rusher for the Raiders, with his seven hurries ranking sixth among all interior defensive lineman. Meanwhile, Bennett has only played 24 snaps across all three of the Eagles’ games. Even worse for him is that he has now landed on injured reserve, guaranteeing that he misses the next four games.

While the early signs have been promising, it is still far too early to declare victory in the deal.

No one is going to confuse Booker as a breakout star, but finding a solid contributor in the wake of Christian Wilkins’s shocking offseason release was a good bit of business for the Raiders. However, Bennett still has the second half of the season to emerge as a contributor, and the Eagles have still played the better of the two teams right now.

Not every move general manager John Spytek made this offseason has been a home run, but landing Booker looks like a much better move than it did at first glance.