Inside the Iggles
FanSided

Grading the Philadelphia Eagles opening week of the NFL New Year

By Justin Grasso

NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates in the end zone with a dance after catching a touchdown pass against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 9, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 48-40. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - SEPTEMBER 9: DeSean Jackson #11 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers celebrates in the end zone with a dance after catching a touchdown pass against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Superdome on September 9, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Buccaneers defeated the Saints 48-40. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Malik Jackson #97 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field on January 14, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – JANUARY 14: Malik Jackson #97 of the Jacksonville Jaguars celebrates against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first half of the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Heinz Field on January 14, 2018 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Malik Jackson, DT

Signed a three-year deal

The Eagles were one of the first teams to make a move last Monday when the NFL’s Legal Tampering period began. Since Malik Jackson ended up getting released from the Jacksonville Jaguars though, he was able to sign with the Eagles officially by Monday, rather than waiting until Wednesday. Jackson ended up inking a three-year deal with the Birds, that was worth $30 million.

Considering that the Eagles just released Timmy Jernigan a couple of weeks ago, they needed to fill the void at defensive tackle immediately. While the Eagles have other needs on the team, they didn’t have a reliable defensive tackle on board that could start alongside Fletcher Cox since Jernigan and Haloti Ngata are out of the picture for 2019.

Related Story. 3 Thoughts on the Malik Jackson signing. light

Last season, Jackson was benched midway through the year for Jacksonville, but it doesn’t seem like it was for poor play, per se. It could be because the Jaguars had a younger guy that they knew they were going to move forward with. Therefore, they decided to get the young guy his much-needed reps, as they knew they would cut Jackson loose eventually. Realistically, Jackson could end up being an upgrade from Jernigan. And he’s undoubtedly more durable at this point. Time will tell if Jackson’s still able to produce a Pro Bowl season, and being next to Cox could help out big time.

Grade: B+

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