The Carolina Panthers are sitting atop the NFC South with a 3-4 record, but after getting torched for 43-13 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 27-19 by the Green Bay Packers, their defense is a mess. The run defense struggled against the Buccaneers, and the pass defense flat-out couldn’t stop the Packers in Week 8. To try and fix things on the back end, the Panthers just inked 26-year-old cornerback Jakorian Bennett to their practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The Defensive Backfield Is Falling Apart
Carolina’s recent struggles are no joke. Two brutal losses like that scream for defensive adjustments, and clearly, the Panthers agree. Their cornerback depth chart is an absolute nightmare right now. Will Lee III, Mike Jackson, Akayleb Evans, and Jaycee Horn are all hurt. Seriously, everyone is banged up. Only Lee has any chance at all to play in Week 9 against the Broncos. If Lee can’t go, the Panthers are basically down to relying heavily on Malcolm DeWalt IV. This team’s cornerback room is very depleted by injuries, and it’s reaching a breaking point. It’s so bad, Bennett might get real playing time in the very near future, possibly even right away.
Who Is Jakorian Bennett?
While this isn’t a massive, headline-grabbing move, considering the state of their secondary, it’s a critical one. Bennett is 26 years old and has played in 35 games across three seasons for both the Las Vegas Raiders and the Philadelphia Eagles. He’s stacked up 12 passes defended with 65 total tackles in his career. Plus, he’s allowed a solid 81.5 passer rating overall. If you dive into his recent past, he allowed an even better 66.5 passer rating in 2025 and 67.7 in 2024. He hasn’t played in 2026 because of an injury issue, but the Panthers are banking on him being good to go now.
The Panthers desperately need all the help they can get on defense, especially with their cornerbacks in such a dire situation. With Week 9 against the Broncos looming, Bennett could find himself playing a significant role immediately. It’s going to be wild to see how quickly he gets thrown into the fire with the team needing bodies so badly.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by The Sporting News.
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