By Tucker Bagley, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
The Eagles made another move this week, sending their third-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens in exchange for defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan and the Ravens third-round pick in this upcoming draft.
It wasn't a transaction that will make national headlines or change the course of the Eagles 2017 campaign, but Jernigan represents a huge upgrade at defensive tackle.
Jernigan is a natural pass-rusher, but he seemed to fall out of favor with the Ravens during the second half of 2016. After posting three sacks in Baltimore's first three games, Jernigan had just two the rest of the season and recorded only three tackles during the final seven weeks of the season.
Not only did Jernigan's stats fall off, but so did his playing time. The Florida State product played over 70 percent of the Ravens defensive snaps during the early parts of 2016, but he was down to playing just 50 percent of their snaps by the end of the season. There have been reports of the Ravens coaching staff not liking his attitude down the stretch last year, but a change of scenery could be just what the doctor ordered for a talented, but frustrated 24-year-old.
One thing is for certain, however, Jernigan can get after the quarterback. In the four years since he's entered the league, Jernigan has registered 13 sacks, good for 17th among all defensive tackles during that time frame. Of those 16 players who rank ahead of him, only one has started lass games than Jernigan.
Despite Jernigan's pass-rushing reputation, he hasn't slacked off in the run-game either. In 2016, he racked up nine tackles for loss, equaling Fletcher Cox and Nick Fairley.
Jernigan isn't exactly the quickest guy off the ball, but he's able to use his size and strength to bully opposing linemen into the quarterback. At 6'2", 299 pounds, Jernigan is roughly the same size as Cox and he plays with a similar strength. The former Raven often benefited from playing next Brandon Williams in Baltimore, getting one-on-one matchups while his high-profile teammate was left to deal with double teams.
It's safe to assume Jernigan will see similar looks this year playing next to guys like Cox and Brandon Graham who have proven to be top-tier defensive linemen in their career.
Despite all these positives, the future is still up in the air for Jernigan. He is slated to be a free agent following the 2017 season, and if his sack numbers are any indication, he could be setting himself up for a nice payday. The Ravens were willing to move on from Jernigan because they felt they couldn't afford both Jernigan and Williams. Could the Eagles afford Jernigan and Cox?
Unless the Birds are planning on locking up Jernigan and have already had discussions with his agent, they will probably still take a look at defensive tackles in the draft, in case Jernigan should walk following this season. Still, adding Jernigan is a nice move by Howie Roseman and gives the Eagles a short-term replacement for Bennie Logan.
