Philadelphia Eagles: 3 players to watch against the Browns

2. Reed Blankenship

If you had to pick a weakness on this year’s Philadelphia Eagles team, it would undoubtedly be the safety position. Philadelphia bolstered just about every position group through free agency or the draft, but the unit that arguably needed it the most didn’t get the attention it deserves.

Marcus Epps has shown promise and most certainly has one of the spots locked down. Anthony Harris is the experienced and steady veteran that Jonathan Gannon trusts, but the rest of the safeties on the roster haven’t made much of an impact. With the third safety spot up for grabs, an unlikely candidate is making a push to steal a spot on this team.

Reed Blankenship, the safety from Middle Tennessee State University, went all seven rounds of the draft without hearing his name called, but could very well be a contributor on defense in Week 1. He turned in an exceptional performance against the Jets, leading the team with eight tackles, and it earned him first-team reps in joint practices against the Browns.

If he continues this production in-game Sunday against Cleveland and throughout the rest of training camp, he could cement himself as one of the team’s safeties of the future.