The Philadelphia Eagles laid claim to the NFC East title during the 2025 season, but came up short of their ultimate goal of defending their Super Bowl championship, falling to the San Francisco 49ers, 23-19, at Lincoln Financial Field in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Since that loss, several changes have been made to the coaching staff, and fans should expect roster additions and subtractions in the coming weeks, with free agency set to open in March and the draft following in April.
While it remains to be seen who those newcomers to the City of Brothely Love will ultimately be, it seems pretty safe to say that veteran safety Reed Blankenship will not be returning following his performance during the 2025 campaign. That might not be the worst thing for the Eagles, either, as his play and, more importantly, his contract, can be another team's problem moving forward.
Losing Blankenship to Free Agency Could Ultimately Be a Win for Philly
Leading up to the 2025 campaign, Blankenship was hoping he and the Eagles could work out a contract extension. As we know, that never transpired, and Blankenship played out the season on a one-year, $3.9 million deal. Now, after what can only be described as a subpar season, the veteran safety enters free agency. It wouldn't be too far of a stretch to think that Philadelphia won't even entertain anything other than a low-ball, short-term offer to the soon-to-be 27-year-old defender.
After finishing the 2025 season with a Pro Football Focus rating of 46.5, which ranked 92nd among 98 qualified safeties, to go along with all the other less than impressive statistics Blankenship recorded this past season, the Eagles might be best suited letting the defender become someone else's problem, as making a financial investment in the former Middle Tennessee State University standout doesn't make a lot of sense.
Given his projected market value of of $14.3 million over two years, Howie Roseman shouldn't think twice about using that type of money elsewhere. As the 2025 season proved, this is not a perfect roster by any stretch, and the front office will need to make tweaks across the board to help this franchise return to the top of the NFL mountain.
Perhaps Philadelphia's rival, the Dallas Cowboys, could talk themselves into taking a flier on Blankenship this offseason. Their defensive secondary was such a mess this past year that new defensive coordinator Christian Parker could be willing to bring on one of his former players as a bridge to the rest of the defense as they adjust to his scheme.
Whether it is Dallas, or any other NFL franchise, Eagles fans likely won't be upset to see Blankenship lined up against one of their elite pass catchers should the two sides meet in 2026.