Philadephia Eagles Acquire Timmy Jernigan, Swap Third-Rounder with Ravens
The Philadelphia Eagles have pulled off a trade for a defensive tackle.
In a somewhat surprising move, the Philadelphia Eagles have acquired defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for a swap of third round picks. The Eagles were previously set to draft with the 10th pick (74th overall) in the third round. The team will now draft with the 35th pick (99th overall) in the third round: which had previously been a Ravens compensatory pick.
So…what did the Eagles get? And was it worth it?
Let’s start with the former.
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Timmy Jernigan was drafted with the Ravens second round pick (48th overall) in the 2014 NFL draft. He was drafted out of Florida State. As a Seminole, he was a defensive standout and helped the team to consecutive ACC championships in 2012 & 2013 and a National Championship in 2013. He led the team in tackles for loss during the 2013, championship campaign.
With the Ravens, Jernigan was a defensive contributor but, by no measure, was a star. In 43 games (26 starts), he collected 47 tackles and 13 sacks. Much like recently departed Bennie Logan, it seems Jernigan’s true worth surpassed his statistics. In March 2015, the Ravens were satisfied enough with Jernigan’s potential to permit Ozzie Newsome & Co. trade Haloti Ngata to the Detroit Lions.
So…was it worth it?
This addresses a key need on the Eagles defense. With Bennie Logan’s recent signing in Kansas City, there was a hole for an upgrade next to Fletcher Cox. There have been reports the front office is high on Beau Allen with rumors about an extension for Allen of late. While Allen played well last season when Logan was injured, the potential Jernigan brings is on another level. He has the pedigree Allen just simply does not have. So Howie fleeced Ozzie? Not so fast…
It is not yet known if the Eagles have agreed to terms on a contract extension with Jernigan: who is set to be an unrestricted free agent following the 2017 season. It is hard to say if this is a win for the Eagles without knowing whether or not they were able to extend Jernigan.
It has been reported the Ravens were not enamored with Jernigan’s work ethic as a professional. These could be nothing more than “reports.” This much is certain: the Ravens are not a franchise that lets talented professionals out the door for no reason. The Ravens are soundly a “draft-and-develop” franchise. Despite investing a second-round pick in Jernigan in 2014, the Ravens evidently were not keen on extending Jernigan following this season. At least it would seem not at the price the Ravens and Jernigan’s representatives almost assuredly discussed at the recent NFL combine & Owner’s meetings.
In Philadelphia, however, it seems one-year contracts for reclamation projects are all the rage right now. This is fine when the Eagles only expenditure is a reasonably priced contract on an aging free agent (see: Long, Chris) or a risk on a veteran with upside too high to ignore (see: Jeffery, Alshon). But trading back 25 spots—just seven spots shy of a full round, mind you—in a talent-rich draft seems like a large gamble on a player you have control over for less than a calendar year.
These insights can be gleaned from the move:
First, this trade indicates Joe Douglas has some serious influence in the newly-forged Eagles front office. Douglas was a national scout with the Ravens from 2012-2015: when Jernigan was scouted & drafted. Douglas likely vouched for Jernigan’s work ethic and character before this deal was consummated.
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Second, Howie makes a great wound care nurse. Despite his claiming the Eagles roster was not going to be fixed with a series of “band-aids”, his actions this offseason would indicate the opposite. This isn’t necessarily a problem as his moves will afford him greater flexibility in the draft. So long as the Eagles are able to improve the quality of the team, you really can’t complain about what he’s done. We, as fans, of course, reserve the right to lambast or laud the front office pending the results on the field.