Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman took some chances this offseason, but one might end up hurting the team if it doesn't work out.
Roseman let a lot of veteran starters walk in free agency, including Jaelan Phillips, Reed Blankenship, and Nakobe Dean. Sports Illustrated writer Eva Geitheim believes letting Blankenship walk could be the one that haunts Roseman during the 2026 season.
"Eagles safety Reed Blankenship was one of the players to leave Philadelphia in free agency this offseason, signing with the Texans on an affordable three-year, $24.75 million deal. What makes the loss of Blankenship tough for the Eagles is they didn’t do much to replace him. The Eagles also lost Jaelan Phillips, but found a replacement in Jonathan Greenard. Philadelphia lost Blankenship and traded Sydney Brown, but did not draft a safety or bring in any proven ones."
Should Howie Roseman have re-signed Reed Blankenship in the offseason?
Looking at the contract Blankenship signed, it's only about $8 million per season, so it's not a bad deal. Last season was not the best year for the veteran safety, but he would have at least brought some stability to the franchise.
The Eagles are looking at a messy safety situation entering training camp. Andrew Mukuba is a solidified starter on the team, but Marcus Epps and Michael Carter II are battling for the other starting spot. Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio named others who could be in the running to start, but also added that Cooper DeJean would play safety in "base" defense.
While it at least opened the door for DeJean to show off his versatility, not having all the starters figured out entering training camp just adds more stress to the team. Epps played well last season when he replaced Mukuba after his injury, but it was clear that the Eagles needed somebody better back there.
During the last two months, there have been several suggestions on who the Eagles should bring in via trade or free agency at safety to compete with Epps. Some of those have been pretty solid, but they are not as familiar with the defensive scheme as Blankenship is.
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It remains to be seen whether Roseman made the right call in letting Blankenship walk, but the general manager has a good track record of making those kinds of decisions at the right time. Eagles fans should trust that Roseman is doing what's best for the franchise.
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