Tim Jernigan Undergoes Surgery for Herniated Disc

Eagles defensive tackle Tim Jernigan had offseason surgery for a herniated disc and will miss the team's spring workouts, a league source confirmed to NBC Sports Philadelphia's Derrick Gunn.

WIP's Howard Eskin first reported the news.

This makes sense.

Jernigan, 25, started off his 2017 season strong with the Eagles but seemed to tail off later in the year. By the end of the season, he was basically splitting reps with his backup, Beau Allen. We knew Jernigan dealt with an ankle injury during the season, but we didn't know about the herniated disc. It seemed like Jernigan was playing at less than 100 percent.

Despite the injuries, Jernigan still had a pretty good season with the Eagles after coming over in an offseason trade. He had just 2 1/5 sacks but had nine tackles for loss and 33 total tackles.

Thanks to his hot start, Jernigan was rewarded with a four-year, $49 million contract in November. This deal, which included $25 million guaranteed, can keep him in Philly through the 2021 season. Jernigan's cap number in 2018 is relatively small at $5 million before jumping up to $13M, $14M and $14M in the following three years.

Since Jernigan won't be able to participate in the spring program, expect recent acquisitions Haloti Ngata and Michael Bennett to get some extra reps at DT next to Fletcher Cox. Third-year player Destiny Vaeao should also get some extra snaps.