Eagles Acquire DT Timmy Jernigan

PHILADELPHIA (973espn.com) - The Eagles made a significant move on the defensive side of the football, moving down in the third round of this month's draft to acquire defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from the Baltimore Ravens.

Philadelphia dropped 25 spots from No. 74 overall to the 99th selection, a compensatory pick at the end of the round, and snared a presumptive starter as Jernigan will be expected to step in for Bennie Logan, who moved on to Kansas City in free agency.

“We are excited to add Timmy Jernigan to our defensive front,” said Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman. “It was hard to move down in the third round but we believe in building along the lines and he is a good fit for our scheme. At 24 years old, his best football is still ahead of him."

Entering his fourth NFL season, Jernigan was originally a second-round pick of the Ravens in 2014.

He has appeared in 43 career games (24 starts), amassing 91 total tackles, 13 sacks, three passes defended, one interception and one fumble recovery. In 2016, he started 15 of 16 games, registering 31 tackles, a career-high five sacks and three passes defended.

“Timmy has been a terrific player for us for three seasons,” Ravens general manager  Ozzie Newsome said when announcing the move. “This will allow our young group of defensive linemen an opportunity to compete and play.”

Jernigan is obviously very well known to Eagles' personnel director Joe Douglas, who was in Baltimore when he was drafted out of Florida State. He's also more of a penetrating player than Logan which is a better fit for what defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz wants.

-John McMullen covers the Eagles and the NFL for 973espn.com. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen