Reed Blankenship's recommendation paved the way for former Eagles DB's return

Many characteristics go into being a true leader on a team, and Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship is proving that time and time again.

Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was speaking to the media on Sunday when he discussed the team bringing back safety Marcus Epps. Sirianni shared the story of how Blankenship made the recommendation for the team to sign Epps.

"One thing when we were talking about bringing Marcus back, Reed Blankenship would talk to us about how much Marcus helped him develop as a player and helped learn the scheme, so (Marcus Epps is) really sharp, and he's got great leadership qualities," Sirianni said via Eagles Wire. "t's awesome that that's the memory Reed has of Marcus, that he introduced him into this thing when he was a rookie and Marcus was in his fourth year, and he helped him grow.”

Blankenship was an undrafted rookie for the Eagles in 2022, while Epps was in his third year with the team. That would be Epps' first full season as a starter at safety, as he helped the Eagles make the Super Bowl.

More proof that Blankenship is more ready than ever to be a leader on the defense

There was so much veteran leadership that left the Eagles' defense in the offseason with Darius Slay, Brandon Graham, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Josh Sweat. It caused many in the media to worry about who would be able to step up, but Slay had told everyone to keep their eye on Blankenship.

So far, it has not been a disappointment with Blankenship. He's entering his fourth season in the NFL and has been a full-time starter for the last two. During his three-year career, Blankenship has racked up 225 tackles, 19 pass deflections, eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit in 40 games.

This past week, he was named as one of the eight team captains for the Eagles. He and Zack Baun were the only defenders to earn the "C" on their uniforms.

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Eagles fans can't be more excited to see Blankenship take a step up in his leadership as he's looking to prove to general manager Howie Roseman that he deserves a new contract with the team. With how he's playing, that might come sooner rather than later.