The Philadelphia Eagles don’t seem to put too much value in keeping the talent they’ve developed on the roster — at least on the defensive side of the ball they don’t.
That’s the conclusion we can make after they let safety Reed Blankenship walk out the door after 3 seasons as the starter instead of paying him a relatively paltry 3-year, $24.75 million contract — what it took the Houston Texans to lure him away in free agency.
Pro Football Focus NFL reporter Daire Carragher singled Blankenship out as 1 of the NFL’s very best undrafted free agents in 2026, putting him on his NFL All-UDFA Team for 2026.
“Blankenship emerged as a key piece of Philadelphia’s defense, logging nearly 1,000 more snaps than any other undrafted safety over the past four seasons,” Carragher wrote on June 24. “That workload has come with diminishing returns, however. His PFF grade has declined in each season of his career, culminating in a 42.8 mark in 2025. His PFF coverage grade (29.9) ranked last among qualifying safeties. Despite that downturn, the Texans clearly believe a rebound is possible. Houston signed Blankenship to a three-year contract worth more than $8 million annually this offseason.”
Reed Blankenship Dissed Eagles on Way Out of Town
There may have been some bad blood over Blankenship’s exit from Philadelphia — on his part, at least — after playing in 2 Super Bowls and winning 1 over his time there.
Unburdened by having to answer to Philly’s powers that be now that he’s with a new team, all of those feelings finally came to the surface as Blankenship unloaded on his old team following his exit in March.
“That honestly felt like the first time in my whole career, that somebody really wanted me as a player and as a person,” Blankenship told NFL reporter Aaron Wilson about signing with the Texans.
That sounds like a pretty miserable time for Blankenship in Philadelphia, where he went from an undrafted free agent to one of the standouts on Philadelphia’s defense as a full-time starter for the last 3 seasons. That included the Super Bowl win following the 2024 season.
“What?” Eagles fan Uncle Jut wrote on his official X account. “He was voted Captain of a Super Bowl team, and received an extension from the team. That’s a crazy take.”
“Bro the Eagles signed you undrafted in 2022, elevated you to a starter in 2023, extended you with guaranteed money in 2024, and voted you as a team captain in 2025,” Eagles Fan Central wrote on its official X account.
“Blankenship was a UDFA out of Middle Tennessee State and worked very hard to earn his payday in the NFL, so I assume this is more so about his early football days than the Eagles,” Draft Day Trade’s Jake Rabadi wrote on his official X account. “Eagles had him as a priority UDFA, gave him multiple pay raises and made him a team captain.”
Blankenship Was Terrible in Final Game in Philly
Blankenship probably dropped his value in the free agent market by several million just by how he played in his final game in an Eagles uniform — a 23-19 home loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Round.
Against the 49ers, Blankenship seemed generally lost on defense and got cooked on a trick play that led to a touchdown pass from wide receiver Jauan Jennings to running back Christian McCaffrey.
Former Eagles Star Called NFL’s Best UDFA Starter After $25 Million Exit