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Jaguars Sign Veteran DT Timmy Jernigan to Reinforce Run Defense

With their front seven in disarray, the Jacksonville Jaguars have brought in free agent DT Timmy Jernigan to provide depth up front.

The Jacksonville Jaguars simply could not afford to address their defensive line depth following recent weeks that have dismantled the unit. On Monday, the team took a big step toward doing so by officially signing veteran defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan.

Jernigan took an official visit with the team last week so it has seemed for sometime that Jernigan would eventually sign with the team. Jernigan agreed to a deal with Jaguars' AFC South rival Houston Texans earlier this offseason, but the contract fell through and Jernigan remained a free agent.

Jacksonville has had a gaping hole created at defensive tackle in recent weeks with Dontavius Russell heading to injured reserve, Al Woods opting out, and most notably, Rodney Gunter announcing Sunday that he would be stepping away from football due to a heart condition.

We labeled Jernigan earlier this month as one of the most logical options to potentially replace Woods in 2020:

Former second-round pick Timmy Jernigan originally agreed to a one-year deal with the Houston Texans earlier this offseason, but the deal fell apart before it could become official, meaning the talented defensive tackle is still looking for a team. In terms of pure talent, the 27-year-old may be the most enticing option on this list considering the impact he has made for the Baltimore Ravens and Philadelphia Eagles dating back to 2014.

Jernigan's career has been derailed by injuries in recent years and he has only played 13 games over the last two seasons. But in Jernigan's last fully healthy season in 2017, he was a key piece to the Eagles' Super Bowl run. That year, he recorded 2.5 sacks, a career-high nine tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits. In the three years before then, Jernigan recorded 13 sacks, 16 tackles for loss, one forced fumble and 35 quarterback hits. As long as he is healthy, he is a high-ceiling option who shouldn't be expensive.

Since 2014, Jernigan has appeared in 71 regular season games with 51 starts. He has recorded 132 tackles, 17.5 sacks, 29 tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.

Jernigan has experience at nose tackle, three-technique and five-technique, so he could realistically replace either Gunter or Woods. As of now, the Jaguars' starting defensive line consists of players like Dawuane Smoot and Abry Jones, so the addition of Jernigan gives the group some much-needed depth and even a potential starter. 

Jernigan's talent has never once been questioned -- he just has to prove he can remain healthy. While there is certainly risk involved with Jernigan, the Jaguars are not in a position to turn their noses up at a talented defensive lineman considering the current state of their front seven.