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Philadelphia Eagles bring back Timmy Jernigan on a one-year deal

By Justin Grasso

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Timmy Jernigan #93 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates his second quarter sack against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 13: Timmy Jernigan #93 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates his second quarter sack against the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoff Game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 13, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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The Philadelphia Eagles plan to bring Timmy Jernigan back for one year.

Was anybody worried about the Philadelphia Eagles’ depth at defensive tackle heading into the 2019 NFL Draft? Don’t be, because the Eagles are going to bring back a familiar face for their defensive line. Just a month after cutting Timmy Jernigan loose, the veteran defensive tackle had the opportunity to test the market. After finding out he didn’t have much of a demand, Jernigan has decided to come back to Philadelphia. This time, he will be on a one-year deal.

The idea of cutting Jernigan was logical for the Eagles. After he missed a majority of the 2018 season due to an injury that occurred off of company time, the Eagles weren’t too reluctant about taking his rather large cap hit. As the Eagles were in desperate need for cap space at the start of the league new year, they needed to make some tough cuts and trades in order to free up space. One of those moves involved getting rid of Jernigan. It was shocking to see the Eagles’ lineman not get too much love on the open market, but it’s great to see the Eagles are getting him back.

The Schefter Bomb

The Eagles filled the void of Jernigan with Jacksonville Jaguars’ former defensive tackle, Malik Jackson. They signed Jackson to a three-year deal back when free agency opened up. But just because they replaced Jernigan with Jackson, didn’t mean they weren’t in need of more help at defensive tackle. Behind Jackson and Fletcher Cox, there was little-to-no depth. Drafting a defensive tackle seemed inevitable, but bringing Jernigan back is a solid move as well.

Does this change the Eagles’ draft plans? Not entirely. But at this point, it would be shocking to see them select a defensive tackle in the first round. Their defensive line surely got stronger with the addition of Jernigan, and now the Eagles don’t have to worry about trading up in the first round in order to find some immediate depth at the position. This was a winning move for the Eagles.

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