Eagles DT Timmy Jernigan expected to be out 4-6 months
Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan could miss a good chunk of time in 2018.
Despite being Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles are still dealing with a ton of injury issues from 2017. With more than a few key players still rehabbing season-ending injuries, the problems just keep on piling up in the offseason.
Eagles defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan recently had a herniated disc repaired in his back earlier this week. The team did not have a timeframe set in place for return, but now Jernigan could be looking at a very long offseason.
ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that the Eagles could be without Jernigan for at least 4-to-6 months. Now the Eagles decision to stack up the depth on the defensive line in the offseason doesn’t look that crazy after all.
Schefter’s Report:
Eagles’ starting DT Timmy Jernigan underwent surgery on a herniated disc in his back last week and is expected to be out four-to-six months, league sources tell @FieldYates and me.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 3, 2018
Jernigan now joins a notable list of Eagles’ starters to miss the start of the season potentially. With Carson Wentz, Alshon Jeffery, Jordan Hicks, and Jason Peters working hard to play during week one, the Eagles could head into 2018 pretty banged up.
The timing of Jernigan’s injury couldn’t be any worse as he recently signed a four-year extension with the Eagles midway through the season. For a team with tremendous amounts of cap issues, the Eagles front office allegedly considered a potential release for Jernigan.
According to Schefter, the Eagles did him a solid instead. Jernigan had his contract re-worked so he would receive $3 Million guaranteed this season, clearing up his $11 Million cap hit for 2019. Now, the Eagles need to ensure they will have plenty of depth at defensive tackle for the first half of the season.
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We all know that Haloti Ngata will serve the Eagles well to start the season, but the rotational players need to really step it up in training camp. Young players like Destiny Vaeo and Elijah Qualls will have an opportunity to earn some significant playing time behind Ngata and Fletcher Cox throughout the beginning of the season. But if they don’t show out in the preseason, don’t be surprised to see the Eagles make another emergency signing of a veteran.