Even though the Philadelphia Eagles came out on top over the Cincinnati Bengals in their glorified exhibition on Thursday night 34-27, there was a major cause for concern in the back-end of their defense. If the defending Super Bowl champions have a glaring hole that could get in the way of an impressive repeat, it would have to be the other starting cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
Third-year pro Kelee Ringo is simply not taking at the spot. Newcomer free agent Adoree' Jackson is looking more and more like burnt toast by the day. On the evening, Ringo was targeted four times, allowing four catches for 79 receiving yards and a touchdown. Jackson was not that much better, as he allowed four catches on five targets for 45 yards. The one incompletion was a drop. What a mess!
So it makes perfect sense as to why Eagles rockstar general manager Howie Roseman acquired cornerback Jakorian Bennett in a deal from the Las Vegas Raiders in exchange for defensive lineman Thomas Booker earlier in the week. Like Ringo, Bennett is also entering his third NFL season. The former Maryland star looked promising last year with the Silver and Black before suffering an injury.
While I still expect for Philadelphia to field a great team, they are not my pick to win the Super Bowl...
Kelee Ringo in coverage vs. Bengals:
— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) August 8, 2025
• 4 targets
• 4 catches allowed
• 79 receiving yards
• TD
Adoree’ Jackson in coverage vs. Bengals:
• 5 targets
• 4 catches allowed (1 drop)
• 45 yards
Jakorian Bennett … I beg.
This team might be a lock to make the NFC playoffs as is, but I am starting to see some fault lines.
Jakorian Bennett cannot star fast enough for the Philadelphia Eagles
Let me try to break this down as best as I can real quick. Being vulnerable at CB2 is not the worst problem a great team can have, but everything adds up. Little does in fact become big over time. Think of it like having an offensive line that is stellar at four or five positions. As for the fifth, either the guy cannot hold up in pass protection or is weak in road grading. It compromises the entire unit badly.
Philadelphia largely won the Super Bowl over the Kansas City Chiefs because they were simply more ferocious in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Their offensive line could dictate terms in short-yardage situations by way of the controversial Tush Push. If that were not enough, the entire Eagles defensive line swallowed the meager Kansas City offensive line alive to devour Patrick Mahomes.
But flash forward to this year, what if the Eagles cannot stop a nosebleed outside the numbers on one side of their back-end? Not all starting quarterbacks are going to take advantage of this newfound Achilles' heel, but the great ones will. Anyone who is as good as Joe Burrow or better will do that in a heartbeat. Cincinnati may have the best receiving corps in the NFL, but other high-quality ones exist.
Bennett was never going to play in this game after being traded over but the Eagles need him so bad.