As an undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State, Reed Blankenship’s career was never going to be easy.
Despite the low odds, the young safety has found a home with the Philadelphia Eagles and will now be with the team for the foreseeable future. Philadelphia and Blankenship agreed on a one-year contract extension that will add to his remaining year with the team in 2024.
With a key piece of the secondary now set to return, let’s break down the contract and what it means for both sides.
Reed Blankenship’s Contract Details
As first reported by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the deal will pay Blankenship just under $4 million in fully guaranteed money. There are plenty of incentives that will be added to the 25-year-old’s existing deal, but it will keep the Eagles’ top player in the back end with the team for the foreseeable future.
Bonuses for the amount of snaps played and for Pro Bowl nods are part of the incentive package. At one point during the 2023 season, Blankenship was among the highest Pro Bowl vote-getters at safety in the NFC.
He ended up not making the postseason event in Orlando, Fla., after he and the rest of the Eagles’ defense struggled down the stretch.
By adding this extra year to this deal, as Eagles reporter Zach Berman first mentioned, Blankenship and the Eagles would effectively forgo his restricted free agent year (RFA) and allow him to become a free agent in 2026 — a similar method that the team used with former linebacker T.J. Edwards.
Of course, the Eagles will be hoping Blankenship’s career takes the same trajectory of improved play that Edwards’ did during the 2022 season.
Blankenship’s Career Stats
As an athletic but flawed safety out of Middle Tennessee State, many projections had Blankenship graded as a career practice-squad player. Through two years in Philly, though, he has blown through those projections.
Blankenship led the entire Eagles defense in tackles (113) and interceptions (three) while coming in third in pass breakups. At 6’1″, he may not be the biggest player in the secondary, but he’s shown the ability to be a solid tackler and cover man.
In 2022, his rookie season, injuries to C.J. Gardner-Johnson forced Blankenship into the starting lineup where he performed admirably. He recorded an interception against Aaron Rodgers in a primetime victory over the Green Bay Packers, and he even forced a fumble on Deebo Samuel in the NFC Championship Game — another win for the Eagles.
While some question whether Blankenship is more of a third safety than a dependable starter like some other players before him, it’s beyond clear that his first two seasons have shown he belongs at the NFL level.
And with his latest extension, the Eagles have guaranteed that will be in Philadelphia in the future.
Philadelphia Eagles’ Depth Chart at Safety
Outside of Blankenship, the Eagles’ depth at safety is relatively thin at the moment. Sydney Brown, a 2023 third-round pick, tore his ACL late in Week 18 last season, and the Eagles released Kevin Byard at the start of free agency after acquiring him at the trade deadline.
Outside of Blankenship, their only healthy safeties under contract are Gardner-Johnson and Tristin McCollum.
Gardner-Johnson, who had an excellent season in Philadelphia in 2022, re-joined the team on a three-year deal in free agency, but he’s expected to play in the nickel as well. McCollum, meanwhile, is an inexperienced player who played just 29 defensive snaps last season.
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Mekhi Garner is listed at safety on Ourlads’ unofficial depth chart for the Eagles, but he played even fewer snaps than McCollum last season and is more of a cornerback.
The Eagles have plenty of draft capital, particularly on Day 2 with two second-round picks, to add another young safety to the roster. There are still plenty of veterans available in free agency as well, most notably All-Pro Justin Simmons.