Getty Eagles RB Corey Clement is finally healthy.
Legal tampering is about to begin in the NFL’s free-agency period. The Eagles have already locked up one defensive player.
Hassan Ridgeway has been signed to a one-year deal, according to the team. Financials were not disclosed. The 25-year-old defensive tackle was set to hit free agency on Wednesday at 4 p.m. but the Eagles took him off the market.
Ridgeway played in just seven games, including five starts, in 2019 and finished with eight total tackles, four quarterback hits and two sacks. He was acquired in a trade with Indianapolis last April in exchange for a seventh-round pick.
“We have guys on our staff that were in Indy and drafted him,” GM Howie Roseman said after trading for Ridgeway. “We have guys that were with him in Indianapolis. We feel we know the player. He’s still young, so it gives him an opportunity to come here and get a second chance. We’re excited about that move.”
Ridgeway was starting to flash promise on the interior of the defensive line before suffering a season-ending ankle injury. The Eagles placed him on injured reserve on Oct. 23 as he joined a defensive tackle rotation decimated by injuries in 2019.
Roster Move: #Eagles have agreed to terms with DT Hassan Ridgeway on a one-year contract.
Malik Jackson was lost for the year and Tim Jernigan missed significant time as the Eagles scanned the waiver wire to find replacements and signed guys like Albert Huggins and Akeem Spence and Anthony Rush. Huggins played in four games and earned a futures contract.
Tim Jernigan’s Career in Philadelphia Likely Over
The Eagles’ decision to sign Hassan Ridgeway may have been the writing on the wall for Tim Jernigan. While it would be nice to keep him around for depth, it doesn’t sound like the team sees him as a reliable starter or backup. Jernigan missed six games in 2019 and 13 games in 2018.
The 27-year-old should be able to find a home somewhere else in free agency. He’s only two years removed from a very productive campaign where he logged 29 tackles and 2.5 sacks for the Super Bowl champions. He also gained national attention last offseason when Heavy.com broke the news of his upstart rap career.
“At the end of the day, man, as long as my teammates know that I gave everything I had on Sunday, when those lights turned on, I gave y’all everything I had. I’m at peace with that.”
Tim Jernigan would like to be back w/ #Eagles but he’s at peace
Corey Clement Due to Hit Free Agency
The Eagles announced that they won’t tender restricted free agent Corey Clement. The running back out of Wisconsin has been on injured reserve for the past two seasons, including missing 12 games in 2019.
Clement will finish his Eagles career with 142 rushes for 580 yards and six touchdowns — none bigger than his role in the famed “Philly Special” play.
Remember, it was Clement who took the direct snap from center and pitched it to Trey Burton who hit Nick Foles for the touchdown on an epic 4th-and-1 highlight from Super Bowl LII. With Clement now gone, all three major players from that historic play are off the roster.
#Eagles will not place RFA tender on RB Corey Clement.
Clement is scheduled to become a free agent at 4 pm on Wednesday.
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