Not everyone is going to have a perfect start to a season, but Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship is having as bad a start as any player on the team.
Blankenship was an excellent find for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman when he was an undrafted free agent in 2022. Within his first season, people saw the potential with 34 tackles and an interception.
He took on a full-time starting role at safety in 2023 and impressed with 113 tackles, 11 pass deflections, and three interceptions. The future was here, and the Eagles got a golden gem in Blankenship.
There was a slight regression, though, last year, that some people noticed but kind of shrugged off. Blankenship took a massive dip with 78 tackles and six pass deflections. What helped him was that the four interceptions masked the drops in everything else.
Blankenship can't hide from it anymore. He has regressed worse in 2025 and it's time to talk about it.
Blankenship isn't playing like the 2023 safety Eagles fans saw, and PFF backs that up
To say the 2025 campaign has been rough on Blankenship would be an understatement. Let's quickly look at his Pro Football Focus overall grades through the first three seasons in the NFL:
- 2022 - 78.9
- 2023 - 73.4
- 2024 - 69.5
Each year is a dip, but we still manage respectable overall grades. Through three games this season, Blankenship has an overall grade of 33. That ranks 121 out of 123 safeties in the NFL.
Statistically, Blankenship is off to a rough start. He only has nine tackles and one pass deflection. That's it.
If Eagles watch the film from the incredible 33-26 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3, Blankenship struggled as he allowed the long touchdown pass to Davante Adams in the first quarter (yes, Adams probably should have been called for a PI call on the play). He struggled in coverage at times throughout the game, but he at least got his revenge on Adams with a nice pass breakup late in the contest.
This isn't a one-game kind of thing. It's been happening all season. He also allowed a deep ball touchdown pass in the win against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2.
Read more: A once-thought-of future Eagles castoff might now get his long-awaited chance
The good news is that Blankenship has time to turn it around with 14 games needing to be played. In a contract year, though, he needs to do it quickly.