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Eagles’ Jernigan returns to practice for first time since May back surgery
PHILADELPHIA >> Tim Jernigan participated in a walkthrough Monday, the first football practice for the veteran defensive tackle since he underwent back surgery in early May.
The Eagles haven’t publicly stated that Jernigan injured himself lifting weights away from their training complex, but that’s the talk around the locker room.
“Let’s put ‘back in practice’ in relative terms today,” Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said. “Back in walkthrough. But it was good seeing him in a uniform and good just seeing him out there. You know Timmy, he’s got such an infectious smile and just a good demeanor around the game and stuff like that. Just want to get his clock going a little bit, get him in some individual drills and things like that and just take it one day at a time with him.”
Jernigan can practice up to 21 days before the Eagles must decide whether to activate him from the reserve-non-football injury list or put him on season-ending injured reserve.
The Eagles hoped that 34-year-old veteran Haloti Ngata would be a mainstay in the rotation at defensive tackle but he’s missed three of the last four games with a calf injury.
Instead Fletcher Cox has played a ton of snaps and the Eagles have rolled with undrafted tackles Treyvon Hester and Bruce Hector. Hector is on the practice squad.
Last season Jernigan registered 2 1/2 sacks, nine tackles for loss and eight quarterback hits playing alongside the Pro Bowl Cox. The Eagles rewarded Jernigan with a fouryear, $48 million contract extension during the season. In a restructured deal after the injury, he gave up $11 million in guaranteed money, enabling the Eagles to release him after this season.
Schwartz said there aren’t any expectations on Jernigan’s return.
“It’s going to be totally based on where he is,” Schwartz said. “First day of training camp, first day of OTAs, all that is where he is. But you’re also talking about a guy that’s a veteran player, that has played a lot of football, that has been working extremely hard. Coming back from a major injury but we have to get him up to speed. His body will tell him, and that will guide us.”
The Eagles didn’t put a timetable on the return of Jernigan at the time of the injury. It was reported he’d be out four-to-six months.
“We were hopeful that he’d come back sooner,” Schwartz said. “But it just is what it is.”
••• Nelson Agholor knew there would be questions for him in the aftermath of the trade for Golden Tate.
Agholor and Tate are similar types of receivers.
“Every time we bring a guy in a lot of people are thinking, ‘oh, man, Nelson is like this,’” Agholor said Monday, rolling his eyes. “But they don’t realize. I’m happy I get to play with those guys.”
Agholor said Tate gives the Eagles three playmakers at receiver, much like last season with himself, Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith.
“People knew our three guys,” Agholor said. “People respected them. And that’s no disrespect to anybody else that already was here. We had Torrey, we had Alshon and myself. We had built a rapport and people kind of had to defend us. Now when you bring in a guy like Golden Tate, who is a very good player in this league, people have to respect us. And I think it’s going to be a positive thing for this whole group and the team.”
Agholor said he and Tate play all the positions. The same with Jeffery, who moves into the slot on occasion. It’s all about creating favorable matchups. Three is better than two.
“It doesn’t take away from my ability at all,” Agholor said. “If anything, having a player like him on my team is going to increase my game. If there’s things that he can do that I don’t have in my game right now, I’m going to learn from him and I’m going to add to my game.”
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With Jalen Mills bothered by a leg injury, the Eagles claimed cornerback CreVon LeBlanc off waivers Monday. The 24-year-old LeBlanc (510, 190) played with the Bears in 2016-17, intercepting two passes his first season. He started 10 of the 28 games he appeared in over that time.
This past season the undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic played in three games with the Lions.
The Eagles cut cornerback Dexter McDougle, who had a rough outing in the win over the Jaguars, to make room on the roster for LeBlanc.
Mills was carted off the field after hurting a leg in the Eagles’ win over the Jaguars at Wembley Stadium. Rasul Douglas filled in, and he batted down a pass on a twopoint attempt by the Jaguars playing 42 defensive snaps.