The Philadelphia Eagles made a trade! No, it doesn’t involve Jason Kelce and/or Mychal Kendricks. The Eagles acquired Ravens defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan in exchange for a swap of third round draft picks. Here’s an overview of what the trade looks like.
EAGLES RECEIVE: DT Timmy Jernigan, Ravens 2017 third round pick (No. 99)
RAVENS RECEIVE: Eagles 2017 third round pick (No. 74)
So in other words, the Eagles moved down 25 spots in the third round in order to pick up a new starting defensive lineman. Philadelphia definitely needed a new defensive tackle after losing Bennie Logan in free agency.
The 24-year-old Jernigan has the potential to be a nice replacement. Jernigan has made 26 starts in 43 games played since being selected No. 48 overall in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. During that span, he’s recorded 47 tackles, 13 sacks (five last year), and three pass deflections. For comparison, the 27-year-old Logan has 7.5 less career sacks despite playing 16 more games than Jernigan.
Why was Baltimore willing to part with a seemingly good player? There have been concerns about Jernigan’s work ethic in the past. He’s also set to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2017 season, so the Ravens clearly didn’t want to pay him.
The influence of both Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas is apparent in this trade. The Eagles got good value (Howie’s job) and they acquired a talented player who clearly has ties to Douglas.
While the Eagles probably hope Jernigan can be a solution for them, this trade doesn’t necessarily preclude Philadelphia from taking a defensive tackle in the draft. As previously mentioned, Jernigan is a free agent after the season. So is Beau Allen.
For now, this seems like a pretty good deal for the Eagles. More trade reaction coming your way soon.
By the way, here’s an updated look at the Eagles’ 2017 NFL Draft picks.
1st - No. 14 (from the Minnesota Vikings)
2nd - No. 43
3rd - No. 99 (from the Baltimore Ravens)
4th - No. 119
4th - No. 139 (from the Cleveland Browns)
5th - No. 155
6th - No. 194
7th - No. 230