Reed Blankenship leaves no doubt on how he feels about the Eagles after choosing to join Texans during 2026 NFL free agency
The former Eagles safety pulled no punches.
The Philadelphia Eagles lost safety Reed Blankenship to the Houston Texans during free agency. It was a notable loss for Vic Fangio’s secondary, and they are still looking for help at the position.
Blankenship made it clear how he felt during his exit from Philly and arrival to his new AFC South destination.
Reed Blankenship shows frustration with Eagles
In a recent interview, Blankenship didn’t hold back. He made it clear that his phone call with Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans made a big impact on his decision. The defensive back felt more valued by the Texans during this free agent process than any other time in his pro career.
“That honestly felt like the first time in my whole career, that somebody really wanted me as a player and as a person.” — Blankenship via Aaron Wilson
This is a bit of a head scratcher, though. Yes, Blankenship went undrafted. It’s fair for him to feel a bit disrespected by the whole league at that point.
That being said, the Eagles took a chance on him and signed him as a UDFA in 2022. Then, he was elevated to a starting role in 2023. They clearly saw his potential and overall impact on the defense.
Blankenship signed a one-year extension with nearly $4 million guaranteed with the Eagles ahead of last season, another sign that Philly valued his services. They could have allowed him to hit the open market without interest in bringing him back.
The safety was also named a captain for last season. That was a vote where he was shown a ton of respect around the roster and coaching staff.
Overall, we often see a player who recently signed in free agency show huge love for their landing spot. It makes sense. On the flip side, Philly certainly showed Blankenship on multiple occasions how valuable they believed he was to their defense and overall team morale.
We will see how he fares in one of the top defensive units in football with Houston.