The biggest storyline around the Philadelphia Eagles' offseason thus far has been around what the team will do with receiver AJ Brown. Yet they have multiple players hitting free agency, including safety Reed Blankenship.
There are conversations underway in that building concerning whether to re-sign Blankenship, but the Eagles are better off letting him walk rather than giving him a multi-year extension.
Eagles Should Let Reed Blankenship Walk in Free Agency
Blankenship has been a starting safety for the last three years, but last season, he took a step back. He finished with 83 total tackles but struggled in coverage. He had four pass deflections and one interception. On Pro Football Focus, he had a 46.5 overall grade (92nd among 98 graded safeties), 32.7 coverage grade (97th among 98 graded safeties), and a 73.9 run-defense grade (31st among 98 graded safeties).
To make matters worse, he had a 111.4 passer rating allowed, giving up 32 catches for 379 yards and four touchdowns. The Eagles have seen stability from Blankenship between the 2023 and 2024 seasons, but it's time to turn the page on this chapter. Spotrac predicts that he'll sign a two-year, $14.3 million deal ($7.2 million per season), and that should be far too rich for Howie Roseman's blood.
That's predicted to be the ninth-highest mark among free agent safeties. While that number itself isn't high, there are other avenues to finding a replacement, and the 2026 NFL draft looks like a great option. The NFL Scouting Combine is currently taking place in Indianapolis, and safeties took center stage on Friday night.
Multiple draft experts, including ESPN's Jordan Reid and The Athletic's Dane Brugler, pointed out that this safety class is deep, and any team that needs one should draft a guy this coming April. ESPN's Benjamin Solak revealed that this safety group averaged a 4.42-second 40-yard dash time, making it the fastest safety group at the combine since 2003.
Philadelphia has a bunch of assets that will be useful in the pursuit of a safety. They have one first, one second, two thirds, and two fourth-round picks this upcoming April. They will have several opportunities to find a replacement for Blankenship in April, giving Philadelphia youth at the position at a lesser cost.
The Eagles also have Dallas Goedert and Jaelan Phillips hitting free agency and could use the extra money to ensure they return for the 2026 season. Blankenship didn't play well in 2025, and instead of hoping he bounces back, Philadelphia should let him walk and find his replacement in the NFL draft.