The Las Vegas Raiders reconstructed their roster this offseason under John Spytek and Pete Carroll. They used both the draft and free agency to completely reassemble the back half of their defense, as none of the seven starters behind the defensive line from last year remain in Las Vegas.
While the release of Jack Jones was expected, and Nate Hobbs was bound to get paid more elsewhere, the trading of Jakorian Bennett just before the preseason shocked Raider Nation. He was both a fan favorite and considered to be the best cornerback on the roster at the time.
However, the Las Vegas secondary held up relatively well through the first two weeks of the season, and Bennett struggled with the Philadelphia Eagles. This caused fans to change their tune a bit about Spytek's gamble.
Former Raiders CB Jakorian Bennett lands on Eagles' IR
But Bennett's plight with the Eagles just got much worse. After facing some obstacles on the field, the team announced that Bennett was going to be placed on the Injured Reserve, meaning he will miss at least the next four games.
The nature of Bennett's injury is a mystery, as fans do not know exactly what he hurt or when. This makes it difficult to establish a timetable on his return, but the optics of it are not great for the former Raiders star, who missed 10 games in two seasons with the Silver and Black.
Bennett's 29.7 overall Pro Football Focus grade was 157th out of 158 qualifying cornerbacks so far this season, which means that he has been nearly the worst player in the league at his position. He was never this ineffective in Las Vegas, so his start to the year was unexpected.
RELATED: Raiders bring in familiar face for workout after defensive struggles
Defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV, whom the Raiders received in exchange for Bennett, has actually performed quite well for Las Vegas. According to PFF, he ranks in the top half of the league in overall grade, while ranking in the top fourth in terms of pass-rush grade.
Whereas Bennett has found himself in a situation that is clearly not conducive to his play style or development, and he is dealing with an injury to boot, Booker is now thriving with a change of scenery in Las Vegas.
This has been a tough year for Bennett, both on and off the field. Raider Nation is surely hoping that he can make a full recovery from injury and begin to impact games like he used to for the Silver and Black.