Raiders report: Young corner excited to face Dolphins’ speedy WRs

Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett has taken a big step forward in his second season.

Now, he’s excited to prove himself against some of the NFL’s best skill players Sunday when his team travels to face the Dolphins.

“That’s why you come to the NFL,” Bennett said after practice Thursday. “Getting to go against guys like (wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle). Good quarterback like Tua (Tagovailoa). We’ll have to be on our P’s and Q’s, but games like this are what you work for.”

Bennett has certainly put the work in this season.

The 24-year-old was largely a rotational piece when the Raiders lost to the Dolphins 20-13 on Nov. 19, 2023 last season. Bennett played only five defensive snaps, so he didn’t get much experience against Waddle and Hill.

This year is different. Bennett is a regular starter in coordinator Patrick Graham’s defense and is ready to take on some of the league’s fastest players.

“We have speed over here, too,” Bennett said. “I know my game is built on speed and I’m a fast guy, so this is going to be fun.

“But that is a fast, dynamic group. We have to execute our game plan and do what we do.”

One of the Raiders’ goals is to be physical with the Dolphins, at least to some extent. If Miami’s weapons start to worry about being hit, then the offense’s timing can be thrown off.

“It definitely kind of helps slow them down a little bit because if they run and worry about getting banged up or whatever, it can help us out a great deal,” Bennett said.

The Raiders trust their speed to match up with the Dolphins’. They still don’t want Sunday’s game to be a track meet.

“There’s several guys we have on the defense that can run,” Graham said. “Now, I’m not saying I want to line up and do a footrace with anybody from Miami. These guys can run, run. … But we’ve got guys that can run, too. So, it’s going to be a fun game in terms of just being able to challenge yourself. I think that’s the big thing for the players, it’s a good challenge.”

Turner pays tribute to mentor

Scott Turner, who was named the Raiders’ interim offensive coordinator Nov. 5, honored the memory of legendary coach John Robinson in his first news conference Thursday.

Robinson died Monday at age 89.

Turner played for Robinson at UNLV, but the connection between their families extends far beyond that. Turner’s father Norv, who joined the Raiders’ staff to assist his son Nov. 5, also played for Robinson when Robinson was an assistant at Oregon.

“He had a big impact on my life both professionally and personally,” Scott Turner said. “(My dad) coached for him, and that’s how my dad met my mom, when she was (Robinson’s) secretary at USC. So obviously (he was) a big, big part of our family. (It’s) a tough loss, and it’s a tough loss for everybody in the football community.”

Robinson was a major influence on both Scott Turner and his father as coaches, particularly when it comes to run-game schemes.

“Then the big thing that he did as the head coach is that this is a relationship business, and I learned that from him, just like how he truly cared about all the players on the team,” Scott Turner said. “And it didn’t matter if it was a walk-on or the highest recruit that we had there at the time. He knew about them and he found time to build relationships with guys to try to help them be the best that they can be. And that’s what coaching is about, and that’s why you get in this business.”

Injury report

Tight end Harrison Bryant was a limited participant in Thursday’s practice after sitting out Wednesday with an ankle injury.

That was the only change to the Raiders’ injury report Thursday.

Cornerback Nate Hobbs, center Andre James and guard Cody Whitehair all sat out a second straight day with ankle injuries. Left tackle Kolton Miller remained limited with his ankle injury.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.