Might the Philadelphia Eagles reacquire Timmy Jernigan one more time?
To Philadelphia Eagles fans, the yearly preseason discussion of whether or not their favorite team should place any faith in Timmy Jernigan as a valuable contributor to their defensive tackle rotation has become a sort of team tradition. It’s been added to other yearly discussions like the narratives of this team needing to find weapons for Carson Wentz and how nice it would be if this team’s defense could field a secondary that other teams feared.
Philly acquired Jernigan and the 99th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft on April 4th of 2017 thanks to a trade that sent the 74th-overall pick in that year’s draft to the Baltimore Ravens. Things started lovely, so much so that the Eagles extended their new defensive tackle with a new deal after just nine games in an Eagles jersey.
Things turned as Jernigan would need to go under the knife for back surgery following his first year with the “Birds”. That would cost him all but five games of the 2018 season (including the playoffs).
Since his procedure. he’s had his moments, but there’s never been any evidence to suggest that he’s ever going to be the same guy we know, and that led to the Eagles making the tough decision to decline his option in March of 2019. No other teams called, and Philly re-signed him to a one-year deal in April of that same season but let him go during the most recent free agency frenzy.
The Houston Texans came knocking at Jernigan’s door, but in the end, the deal fell through. There isn’t an Eagles fan on the planet that doesn’t know what comes next. Cue the rumors. Open the debate tables. Here is an argument for and against Philly’s reacquisition of their former defensive tackle.