PHILADELPHIA - In recent years, the Eagles’ roster-building philosophy has been virtually devoid of the NFL’s middle class, with Howie Roseman cobbling together a host of stars supplemented by cost-effective rookie deals and the occasional clearance-aisle veteran.
Pending unrestricted free-agent safety Reed Blankenship could move the Eagles off that mindset, at least in a limited way.
A homegrown undrafted free agent who has developed into a capable starter and Vic Fangio’s traffic cop on the back end of the Eagles’ defense, Blankenship is coming off a down season in coverage.
The silver lining to that from the Eagles’ perspective is that Blankenship’s price on the open market could soften, making a reunion more likely.
Set to turn 27 next month, Blankenship enters the prime of his career with two very good seasons as a starter and last season’s underwhelming performance.
However, if you peel back the onion on Blankenship, his game remained steady except for the coverage aspect, which was somewhat affected by working next to Drew Mukuba, which required a more stay-at-home disciplined approach while the space-eating rookie learned on the job.
Middle Class Fit
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Eagles S Reed Blankenship | John McMullen/Eagles SI
At Blaneknship’s age, expecting a bounce-back season is not unrealistic.
Moreover, the Eagles lack depth at safety with veteran Marcus Epps headed to free agency, and Sydney Brown seemingly a poor fit for what Fangio wants. Developmental prospects Andre’ Sam and Brandon Johnson still need some refinement.
Outside-the-box thinking could have Michael Carter, who is under contract, moving back to safety. However, Carter has a 2026 cap number over $10 million and is likely to be released absent a restructure.
The easiest answer is to bring Blankenship back on a two-year deal with an average annual value of about $10M.
That kind of deal hasn’t been an Eagles’ staple, though.
In 2025, Philadelphia only had one player earning between $7M and $15M, the NFL’s version of the middle class. That was veteran tight end Dallas Goedert, who made $10M after taking a $4M financial haircut to return.
If the Eagles again have one middle-class exemption earmarked for this year, it should go to Blankenship.
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