Eagles Took $325K Investment and Turned it Into Three Players

The Eagles kept three undrafted players on their initial 53-man roster - Reed Blankenship, Josh Sills, and Josh Jobe

PHILADELPHIA - Yeah, the Eagles didn’t get much for the $320,000 invested into quarterback Carson Strong, something that has developed into a weird obsession for those who don’t understand the NFL’s financial landscape and the rounding error that is for the folks in accounting at the NovaCare Complex.

That said, if you are that worried about the Eagles’ spending on a failed undrafted free agent consider they got three UDFAs on the initial 53 for a grand total of $325K.

Howie Roseman kept Alabama cornerback Josh Jobe ($135K guaranteed), Oklahoma State offensive lineman Josh Sills ($135K), and Middle Tennessee State safety Reed Blankenship, the bargain of the bunch at $55K guaranteed.

Each will be paid $705K this season if the initial 53 turns into an entire season.

Jobe was the most obvious choice for the roster after taking over second-team snaps from Mac McCain and Kary Vincent, Jr. and never relinquishing them. An elbow injury that had Jobe wearing a brace at Monday’s practice could make him a candidate for short-term injured reserve, however.

Either way, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon took a liking to Jobe and was impressed by the rookie’s communication skills and willingness to engage in conversations over what techniques he feels most comfortable with.

The hope is that star outside CBs Darius Slay and James Bradberry stay healthy for the entire season. The next man in would be Zech McPhearson and Jobe seemed very close to the second-year option by late in camp.

“Josh was a guy that had some injury issues in the offseason part of this, and we had followed him," said GM Howie Roseman on Tuesday. "He came in with the right mindset. This is a big, long, instinctive corner, a physical corner who's played at a high level in the SEC.”

The Eagles’ Alabama connection of Jeff Stoutland and Joe Pannunzio was paramount in getting Jobe quickly up to speed, according to Roseman.

“I was saying the other day I'm watching guys even in this year's draft and I see Josh in man coverage with these guys,” the GM said. “He's a guy that we felt very fortunate to get after the draft, and our Alabama guys, Stout and Pannunzio, those guys, just wrapping their arms around him.”

Stoutland, the team’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator, has tremendous heft in the organization, stemming from his success developing offensive linemen and his options, not the least of which is an open invitation to return to the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban at any time, at least if Allison Stoutland ever agreed.

If Stoutland pounds the table for a lineman, the Eagles will defer and that was the case with Sills, who endeared himself to his gruff position coach by showing incredible fortitude to play left tackle when Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard were both out with concussions and Philadelphia needed a body to get through practice.

The results were not exactly smooth but Sills fought and acquitted himself well, earning the respect of Stountand and the No. 10 spot on the NFL’s best offensive line.

“Obviously, we talk a lot about Stout and how he coaches those guys, and that was probably the toughest position group for us to kind of cut down,” Roseman said. “When you talk about Sills, he's 6-foot-5, he's 330 pounds, he has long arms. He's powerful, he's versatile. He can play inside or outside.

“I'm not putting him in Canton - I'm starting to listen to my own description, and it sounds unbelievable. But the guy has talent in his body.”

Last but not least was Blankenship, who got a $5K signing bonus, $1000 for each year of experience he had at the college level.

Turns out playing football that much creates instincts that others simply do not have and when it became clear to the Eagles that Blankenship reached the threshold to play in the NFL when it came to his physical traits, the decision was made to stick with youth and upside over veterans like Anthony Harris, Jaquiski Tartt, and Andre Chachere.

“Reed is an interesting guy. Reed is a five-year starter. You don't see many of those guys going,” Roseman said before head coach Nick Sirianni chimed in “with 419 tackles.”

“It's unbelievable,” Roseman continued. “Reed is one of those guys, he started the last man in that group, and every day we evaluate practice, we evaluate everything he did, and he continued to show up. He had a feel.

“I don't want to put too high expectations on him, but he kind of reminded me of a guy like Quintin Mikell who we had here. He has physical tools, but he's always around the ball, and credit to him and our coaches for putting him in position to make plays.”

The moral of this story is don’t fret about the $320K the Eagles “wasted” on Strong until you celebrate the $325K investment that produced three players.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Sports. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talker Jody McDonald, every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.com and JAKIBSports.com. You can reach John at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen