Getty Jakorian Bennett, struggling Raiders rookie
Each week on the NFL schedule, the Raiders have gotten better defensively, and have gradually made things more difficult on opposing quarterbacks. In Week 2, Buffalo posted an absurd passer rating of 123.8 against the Las Vegas D, and that was 107.4 against Pittsburgh the following week.
But the Chargers’ Justin Herbert netted a rating of just 69.8 in Week 4, and against Jordan Love and the Packers in Week 5, they were dominant, and allowed a rating of just 31.2. The secondary was solid, linebacker Robert Spillane had a breakout game with two interceptions and star pass rusher Maxx Crosby spent considerable time in the Packers’ backfield.
If this team is going to keep winning and turning its season around, it will have to be the defense that does it, at least until the offense gets its act together.
With that in mind, there are areas on the defensive side of the ball where the Raiders could use some upgrades. They need to be better up and down the defensive line, but they could have one of the better secondaries in the AFC if they replace one shaky piece on the back line—rookie Jakorian Bennett, the Raiders’ fourth-round pick in the draft.
To that end, the folks at Bleacher Report are back with a way to address the Raiders’ weakness: Giants practice-squadder Amani Oruwariye.
Amani Oruwariye Was Headed to Solid Career in Detroit
Oruwariye was a fifth-round pick of the Lions in 2019, and found his way onto the field out of the gates—he played 14 games and made five starts as a rookie, then earned a starting role in Detroit from there. He had a career year with six interceptions in 2021, and came back in 2022 with coaches expecting him to develop into a shutdown corner.
But Oruwariye, in part because of a back injury, struggled and was benched after four games. He got back into the team’s secondary rotation, but only as a bit player in the last 10 weeks of last season. The Lions waived him last offseason and the Giants signed him to the practice squad.
But he would be a good candidate for a revival in Vegas, where the secondary is close to being a top unit.
“Part of the problem is that Marcus Peters is not the player he once was, and Jakorian Bennett is having the ups and downs you’d expect from a fourth-round pick starting at a difficult position as a rookie,” B/R wrote of the Raiders.
“Amani Oruwariye is currently on the New York Giants practice squad, but he’s worth consideration as a signee to the active roster. He’s only one season removed from a six-interception season with the Detroit Lions and started five games last year.”
Jakorian Bennett’s Absence Has Helped Raiders D
As for Bennett, it might not be a coincidence that one of the reasons the Raiders’ defense has been moving up the charts, especially against the pass, has been that Bennett’s role has been reduced significantly.
Bennett played 64, 71 and 62 defensive snaps—all Raiders snaps but seven—in the first three weeks of the year, when the Raiders were at their worst against the pass. He got the start against the Chargers in Week 4, but was pulled from the lineup and played only 26 snaps. And the Raiders’ D improved.
On Monday, in the team’s best defensive game of the year, Bennett was out altogether with a hamstring injury. The Raiders do not need to give up on Bennett, of course, but they certainly need to ask less of him in the short term when he comes back.
Oruwariye would help with that.