ClutchPoints
At their core, the Philadelphia Eagles know who they are.
Sure, they’ve attempted some different things over the years, from trading a first-round pick for a star wide receiver to finally drafting a cornerback and linebacker in subsequent first rounds, but at their heart, Philadelphia is a team that wins in the trenches, with big investments on the offensive and defensive lines to go with a winning quarterback under center and the big-time wide receivers on the outside.
Fortunately for the Eagles, they have many of those players already in place, with Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Lane Johnson, and Jordan Mailata all locked up on long-term deals, with young defenders like Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith ready to follow suit in the not-too-distant future.
But what about the players who don’t fall into those categories but still have proven themselves important parts of the Eagles’ 2025 Super Bowl win? Some, like Saquon Barkley and Zach Baun, have been handed lofty extensions, bucking the team’s usual positional value trend in favor of rewarding hard work and talent. But others, like Darius Slay, CJ Gardner-Johnson, and Mekhi Becton, were effectively handed their walking papers before they even got their Super Bowl rings, even if they all played huge parts in Philadelphia’s win.
In 2025, the Eagles have a number of players who will be looking for new contracts in the next 12 months, including starters at multiple positions. After being inconsistent for the first two years of his career, Jordan Davis has really come into his own during the back half of the 2024 NFL season, where he showed he could do some pass rushing in addition to his elite run-stuffing under defensive line coach Clint Hurtt. Cam Jurgens, too, will be looking for a new deal after fully taking over for Jason Kelce at the center spot, likely landing a long-term deal due to his impressive play.
But what about a player like Reed Blankenship, who has been just as important to the Eagles as Jurgens or Davis but plays a much less valuable position at the back of the defense? After failing to reach an extension with the front office before training camp, could “Ed Reed” Blankenship be playing for his very future in midnight green this fall? Unless things take a major turn in the next month, that very well may be the case.
Of all the players on the Eagles’ roster, Reed Blankenship has maybe the least likely path to the NFL.
A three-star recruit out of Lester, Alabama, Blankenship wasn’t the most heavily recruited player in the country back in 2016, choosing Middle Tennessee over the likes of Minnesota, Tulane, and Troy. Though he was a steady performer for the Blue Raiders, playing five seasons of quality football, including two with over 100 tackles, Blankenship ultimately went undrafted in 2022, signing with the Eagles as a mid-priority addition with just a $5,000 signing bonus....
