The Titans should sign ex-Philadelphia Eagles lineman Timmy Jernigan

Hey Tennessee Titans, may I suggest a former Philadelphia Eagles defensive lineman?

Timmy Jernigan isn’t going to be a member of the Houston Texans this fall.

Could he sign a new contract with the Philadelphia Eagles, his – checks notes – fourth straight year signing a deal with the team? I guess anything is possible, but after the addition of Javon Hargrave, the return of Malik Jackson, and the re-signing of Hassan Ridgeway, that seems like a longshot.

Sure, fielding an elite interior attack is kind of the Eagles’ defensive calling card at this point, but I doubt even a rotation-savvy signal-caller like Jim Schwartz wants to try to juggle five mouths to feed with only so many snaps to go around.

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However, there are other teams across the NFL who could actually really use Jernigan’s services (I know, crazy, right?). While Jernigan could return to the friendly(ish) confines of South Philly for another potential playoff run, why do so as a rotational piece when other playoff-bound teams could offer him up a full-time starting role and potentially even a bit more money for hi services.

For my money, that team is the Tennessee Titans.

A surprise 9-7 win team behind the arm of midseason replacement quarterback Ryan Tannahill, the Titans made it all the AFC Conference Championship before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Cheifs, delivering Bill Belichick and Tom Brady their final loss together before the later left Foxboro for the sweaty confines of Tampa Bay in the process.

Fun Fact: Tampa Bay isn’t an actual city. Technically there is a real ‘Tampa Bay but all of the team that hail from it actually play in surrounding cities like Tampa, St. Petersburg, and the Phillies summer home, Clearwater.

In 2019, the Titans finished out the season with the fourth-best statistical run defense in the NFL according to PFF but after losing seven starters in free agency, including their longtime defensive stalwart Jurrell Casey – who was unceremoniously traded to the Denver Broncos for a seventh-round draft pick – its entirely possible the team could take a serious step back this fall.

Sure, the team signed Jack Crawford in free agency and drafted Larrell Murchison our of NC State in the fifth round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but neither player is really a difference make regardless of down and distance.

Jernigan, by contrast, can be a difference-maker and has a proven track record of putting up numbers in both a 4-3 and 3-4 defensive front.

Whether deployed on the edge in the base package or kicked inside on obvious passing downs between Vic Beasley and Harold Landry, Jernigan’s innate ability to bully his way through interior bodies while keeping his eyes firmly planted on a ball carrier is rather rare – that is, when he’s fully healthy.

And fortunately enough for the Titans, Jernigan is really, really good against the run.

With a little over $19 million in available cap space going into the 2020 NFL season, the Tennessee Titans could conceivably offer better money, better incentives, and a more opportune role than anything the Philadelphia Eagles could even dream of offering Timmy Jernigan to bring him back for yet another campaign, which, frankly, is fine. No team can retain every player every year, and personally, I’d much rather see Jernigan go to a situation where he can thrive, over a diminished role on a team that has attempted to replace him two summers in a row.

So goodbye Loko Indacut, you will be missed regardless of where you go – unless its Dallas, if course.