Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship quickly went from being a feel-good story as an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State to a negative talking point. He looked like a lock to be a part of this team for years to come, but his latest performances have left plenty to be desired.
Now, he's looking at unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career. Blankenship was in the final year of his three-year, $2.5 million contract, and got an extension for this season with $3.9 million guaranteed. That's why, with just over a month to finish the regular season, he'll have to put in a lot of work to convince general manager Howie Roseman to bring him back.
Reed Blankenship is Playing His Way Out of Philly
Playing 771 snaps, the 17th most among safeties, Blankenship hasn't made much of a positive impact this season. His play against the run has been solid; however, he's been horrendous in coverage, allowing a career-worst 13.9 yards per reception and a 115.6 passer rating on 30 targets, culminating in a career-worst 30.1 Pro Football Focus coverage grade — the second-worst mark at his position as of Week 14.
Opposing teams are targeting him because of his defensive flaws, and he hasn't done much to help his case. He's given up 66.7% of possible receptions, allowing 20 completions on 30 targets for 277 yards and three scores. For comparison, he only surrendered one touchdown on 48 targets last season. Although he's been dealing with some injuries, and the Eagles' secondary has been subpar as a whole, that's simply not good enough.
Rookie Andrew Mukuba has looked solid for the most part, but with him out, the Eagles are struggling to find much production from Sydney Brown. They must be regretting letting C.J. Gardner-Johnson go, given how things have transpired this season.
The Eagles are a team that usually doesn't wait much time to address their main issues, and Roseman will most definitely work around the clock to bolster the struggling safety room. Other than Mukuba, who has shown signs of promise, no one should be safe, and especially not one of the worst safeties in the game.
Still, we all know that Blankenship is a hard-hitting player with a knack for taking players to the ground, as he's shown by logging 64 tackles this season. And with crucial games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Buffalo Bills' strong passing attacks up next, stepping up in coverage will be crucial to show that this subpar season has been an outlier and that he can return to his solid ways.
Otherwise, he might not get the re-signing he's looking for.