Houston Texans still signing defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan?
By Jair Lopez
The Houston Texans announced their jersey numbers for their free agent and draft acquisitions, but Tim Jernigan’s name was nowhere to be found on the list.
The Houston Texans recently released the jersey numbers their offseason additions would wear for the upcoming season, but there was a noticeable omission on the list with Timmy Jernigan’s name absent. The Texans agreed to a deal with Jernigan after his contract expired with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The agreement initially reached was a one year contract worth $3.75 million with $1.25 million guaranteed. The deal was respectable considering the free agency market and the injury concerns Jernigan faced in Philadelphia. However, it is interesting to say the least, that Jernigan remains the only free agent player unsigned.
More from Toro Times
- Houston Texans Draft: Michael Mayer should be a no doubter at pick 12
- Houston Texans already telling fans the Davis Mills era is over
- Houston Texans have hand forced, waste no time in firing Lovie Smith
- Houston Texans: Pros and Cons of keeping Head Coach Lovie Smith
- There is just one way the Texans can lose the No. 1 pick
The Texans saw Jernigan in their plans before the draft with head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien mentioning him along with the players he expected to help fill Reader’s departure on the defensive line. “Obviously, J.J. (Watt) there, Angelo Blackson, we signed Timmy Jernigan. That was a big get for us to be able to bring Timmy Jernigan onto our roster, which is somebody I didn’t mention earlier, but I should have.”
This could simply be a matter of timing with the Texans deciding to sign him after free agents no longer count towards the NFL compensatory pick formula, or it could very well be that negotiations hit a snag late in the process.
These are strange times NFL teams are facing with the pandemic as several high profile free agents with injury concerns remain unsigned like Cam Newton and Jadeveon Clowney. NFL teams have struggled to have the access they normally have with conducting player’s physicals, and this could very well continue to be an issue for teams as they try to finalize deals with players they previously had agreements with.
Multiple free-agent deals have fallen apart this offseason like Eli Apple to the Oakland Raiders, Michael Brockers to the Baltimore Ravens, or Marqui Christian to the New York Jets. It will be interesting to see how the situation unfolds with Jernigan and Houston.
Next. Texans potentially facing four NFC rivals first on their schedule. dark
The Texans could certainly use a player of his caliber, but there are several obstacles that NFL teams are facing that they normally wouldn’t encounter in previous seasons.