Reed Blankenship proud being the rock of Eagles' secondary

Reed Blankenship proud being the rock of Eagles' secondary originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The Eagles have a lot of moving parts in their secondary this summer.

At least there's one constant.

It doesn't matter who wins the battles at cornerback and safety, or if Quinyon Mitchell travels with top receivers, or if the Eagles are in their base package, nickel or dime, the Eagles can rely on Reed Blankenship.

I want to be as consistent as possible and kind of be that rock in the secondary," Blankenship said. They can lean on me with anything."

And they do.

At 26 years old and entering Year 4 of his NFL career, Blankenship will likely be the oldest and most experienced defensive back on the field in Vic Fangio's defense in 2025. Not only do the Eagles need Blankenship to play at a high level this season but they need him to be an on-field leader for the back end of the defense too.

Reed, obviously, is our quarterback back there helping everybody get lined up and being on the same page," head coach Nick Sirianni said. We talk about this an awful lot. The easiest way to give up a big play on defense is for not everybody to be on the same page.

Reed has been back there for a while now, and guys trust him to help communicate that. Our coaches trust him, I trust him. It's an important piece for that secondary to have somebody that can line everybody up and get the calls going."

In a way, it's hard to fathom that Blankenship is in this position. After all, when the Eagles signed him as an undrafted rookie out of Middle Tennessee State back in 2022 - on a contract that included just $55K guaranteed - he faced an uphill climb just to stick on the roster.

But Blankenship did more than stick. He carved out a role on special teams and as a backup as a rookie and has started 30 games over the past two seasons.

Undrafted, I believe," veteran Adoree' Jackson said. To be able to have four takeaways last year, be able to start and to establish himself on this team and in this league, you can respect that. When someone like that speaks, you want to listen because he's done got it out the mud or the dirt, as some people would say, and has been successful."

During his two seasons as an NFL starter in 2023 and 2024, Blankenship has had 191 combined tackles, 17 pass breakups and 7 interceptions. The only other players to top those numbers over the past two seasons are Julian Love (232/22/7), Jessie Bates (234/21/10) and Xavier McKinney (204/22/11).

Even with his impressive numbers, Blankenship's role extends well beyond his own play.

Reed's a great leader, man," fellow safety Sydney Brown said. I think he's been like that since Day 1. He does a great job of controlling the back end. I think it's just a testament to his leadership, to the work that he puts in. And he's playing really good football.

A guy that's that experienced to be able to come out here and understand the scheme, help guys get into position, help guys understand the way the rotation is going, is great. Especially when you have a guy like that. His leadership, his work ethic and he does everything the right way. I think Reed's just a testament to the work he puts in."

With just three weeks before the season opener, there are plenty of questions about the Eagles' secondary: Will Jackson or Kelee Ringo win the CB2 job? Will Brown or Drew Mukuba win the safety job? Will Cooper DeJean continue to play safety and nickel? Will Mitchell travel? Who's the dime?

All those questions also mean moving parts, especially after the Eagles lost several key members of their 2024 secondary in Darius Slay, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox.

So it's up to Blankenship to make sure everyone is lined up correctly. And according to his teammates, Blankenship isn't shy on the field.

Very vocal. Very vocal," DeJean said. In our defense, both safeties are communicating. But if he sees something, he's going to yell and let us know. He's a good communicator with things that he sees and calls that he makes and different checks that we need to be in, which makes it easier on me."

It's not that Blankenship is going to be a rah-rah leader. He might not break down the huddle or give some impassioned speech before a game. And unless the Eagles suffer some injuries, he won't have that green dot on his helmet either.

But Blankenship brings a calming presence to the Eagles' secondary.

Whenever he say something, the guys listen because he ain't telling us nothing wrong," rookie Andrew Mukuba said. Just being able to listen to him, knowing that he gonna be able to lead us the right way. And keep leaning on him whenever we have questions or need advice, he's going to be there."

The Eagles have done a good job of taking care of their own in recent years but Blankenship is about to enter the final year of his contract. He is set to become an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season.

Every time the subject is broached to Blankenship, he pushes it away. There will be time to think about contracts, he says. For now, he's worried about being the best version of himself - which includes helping to create the best version of the Eagles' defense.

I just try to be myself," Blankenship said. I'm just there to be a helpful hand."