Jaguars release veteran DT Timmy Jernigan

The Jaguars are staying busy Monday. Shortly after we heard they’d be signing kicker Stephen Hauschka the team announced a small flurry of roster moves, including the release of veteran defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan.

They also waived/injured kicker Brandon Wright, promoted defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale from the practice squad and placed linebacker Leon Jacobs on injured reserve. 

Jernigan signed with Jacksonville in August and played a rotational role along the defensive line through the first three games. The 48th overall pick of the 2014 draft, Jernigan spent his first three years in Baltimore.

He was then traded to Philadelphia and started 15 games for the Eagles team that won Super Bowl LII. He signed a four-year, $48M extension midway through that year but was limited to three games the following year following back surgery. He was cut after 2018, then re-signed with Philly on a cheaper one-year deal.

He appeared in 10 games with nine starts for the Eagles last season. The Florida State product then inked a one-year, $3.75M pact with Houston in April, but that deal was called off after a couple of months. He only turned 28 last week, and due to his past starting experience and production, he should resurface soon with a team looking for run-stuffing help.

The Jaguars are clearly going all in on their youth movement on defense. Jacobs started seven games last year and two of the three this season, so that’s a significant loss even though he hadn’t been playing super heavy snaps. Ekuale is a 2018 undrafted free agent from Washington State who appeared in seven games with the Browns last year.