After meeting with him last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars have officially signed former Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan. To make room for his addition, they placed defensive lineman Rodney Gunter on the reserve/retired list after he announced that he’d be stepping away from football with a heart condition.
We have signed DT Timmy Jernigan (@TJernigan8) and placed DL Rodney Gunter on the reserve/retired list.
Jernigan has appeared in 71 career games and has totaled 132 tackles, including 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. pic.twitter.com/v45cukwHtp
— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) August 17, 2020
Jernigan, 27, grew up just outside of Jacksonville in Lake City, Fla. and attended high school there (Columbia High). After graduating, Jernigan played collegiate football at Florida State University where he helped the team win a BCS Championship in 2014 and was a standout on defense. As a result, he was drafted in the second-round by the Baltimore Ravens in 2015, but was eventually traded to the Eagles in 2017.
While with the Eagles, Jernigan once again found success as a player, aiding the defense and team during their Super Bowl LI a few season ago. However, since that moment he’s struggled to stay healthy, only playing in 13 games in the last two seasons. Still, with the loss of Gunter, this felt like a gamble the Jags needed to make.
Jernigan’s addition also comes as the Jags have lost other pieces on the defensive line this month. Al Woods and Lerentee McCray both decided to opt-out due to concerns for the coronavirus, while Brian Price (knee) and Dontavius Russell (hip) were placed on injured reserve.
Jernigan will enter this season with 51 starts, 132 tackles, and 17.5 sacks on his career. He’ll be combining his skill with the likes of a Jags defensive line that already looks respectable on paper and consists of Josh Allen, Taven Bryan, Abry Jones, and Davon Hamilton among notables.
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