It appears the Philadelphia Eagles are set at defensive tackle.
Currently, on the Eagles 90-man roster, there are eight defensive tackles. They include three guys who are making the team without question (Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, and Javon Hargrave), one guy who, based on a recent extension, figures to be the fourth man in (Hassan Ridgeway), and four guys who seemingly have no shot unless the bottom falls out and somebody gets hurt (Bruce Hector, Albert Huggins, Anthony Rush, and Raequan Williams).
It appears, on the surface, that there’s no room for another body. Anyone looking to make the argument that another attempt to give Jernigan one more shot is a step backward instead of forward can do so successfully. They’d also be able to find banter that we’ve heard from fans, the media, and the Eagles themselves to support that theory.
We know Jernigan isn’t on the level of Cox, Hargrave, or Jackson anymore, but if we’re being honest, we can’t state without hesitation that he’s on the same level as Hassan Ridgeway either. If that’s the case, the better option for this Eagles team right now is Ridgeway, not the guy who’s struggled to play 16 games, including the playoffs, over the past two seasons.
All Philly’s gotten out of that effort is 17 combined tackles and three sacks. The results are no longer justifying the investment they keep making.