Seahawks should sign Timmy Jernigan only if price is right

The Seahawks need defensive line help. Oft-injured defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan could help but only if Seattle doesn’t pay too much.

Timmy Jernigan is only 27 years old and that is important to remember. The Seahawks need defensive line help and that is important to know. Timmy Jernigan could help the Seahawks in 2020. That is if Jernigan is healthy enough to do so.

The key point here is that Jernigan would need to be signed by the Seahawks only if Seattle offers him no more than $3 million. This offseason, Jernigan agreed to sign with the Houston Texans for one year and $3.75 million but the Texans have already said goodbye to Jernigan. Jernigan never passed a physical for the team and therefore was never officially signed.

Here is what Jernigan is capable of from his defensive tackle position: Interior pass rush. You might read elsewhere how from 2016 to 2019, Jernigan has 9.5 sacks, 23 quarterback hits and 22 tackles for loss. This is all true. But in 2018 and 2019 combined, Jernigan has just 2 sacks, 4 quarterback hits and 4 tackles for loss.

Why the lack of production? Because Jernigan has only played in 13 games the last two years. He hurt his back in 2018 and his foot in 2019. Jernigan is not trustworthy when it comes to his ability to stay healthy.

Still, the Seahawks need pass-rush help. They need it from their defensive ends and their defensive tackles. Tackles shouldn’t be expected to get 10 sacks a year but edge rushers could get that many. The reason Frank Clark got 13 sacks for the Seahawks in 2018 was that defensive tackle Jarran Reed got 10.5 of his own.

If a team has to worry about the inside and outside pass rush, that creates problems. One reason that Jadeveon Clowney, as good as he was for the Seahawks in 2019, only got 3 sacks was that he had no inside help. Jernigan can supply inside rush.

A healthy Jernigan is a good Jernigan

In Jernigan’s first three seasons, he had 13 combined sacks and 35 quarterback hits. That is a ton of production for a defensive tackle. Jernigan is still capable of that but he has to stay healthy. In his first three years, Jernigan missed just 5 games. In his last three seasons, that number is 20.

Still, if the Seahawks can sign Jernigan to a $2-3 million deal for one season and then sees how he turns out, that could be a boon to the pass rush that Seattle so desperately needs to fix. If another team offers Jernigan anything past $3 million, the Seahawks should not entertain bringing Jernigan in.