Eagles' 'Breakout' Candidate? DB Reed Blankenship to Play 'Major Role'

The Philadelphia Eagles lost safeties Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps this offseason ... could Reed Blankenship fill their shoes and become Philadelphia's "breakout" star this fall?

Oh, the difference a year makes.

In the span of 12 months, safety Reed Blankenship has gone from undrafted rookie to potential impact player for the Philadelphia Eagles, fresh off a trip to the Super Bowl.

The 6-1, 191-pound Blankenship starred at Middle Tennessee State, and despite not being amongst the draft's 262 selections, impressed Philadelphia's coaching staff throughout last summer, ultimately earning his way onto the 53-man roster.

And now, Blankenship is staring down a big opportunity this coming season ... and Pro Football Focus believes he's the Eagles' biggest "breakout" candidate.

"The Eagles lost both starting safeties in Marcus Epps and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in free agency, so former undrafted free agent Reed Blankenship should play a major role on the Philadelphia defense in 2022," PFF writes.

"Blankenship made an impact last year when he got more playing time during Gardner-Johnson’s injury, as his 76.2 PFF grade ranked 21st at the position over the last seven weeks of the season."

Better yet, Blankenship was particularly strong in run defense, earning a PFF grade of 89.4 in the category, putting him fourth-best among qualified safeties.

During his rookie season, the 24-year-old Blankenship logged 34 tackles, two passes defended and an interception across 10 games (four starts) and saw time in all three playoff games, including a start in the divisional round victory over the New York Giants.

Earlier this offseason, Eagles coach Nick Sirianni expressed confidence in Blankenship and noted he did a "nice job" playing meaningful snaps down the stretch.

Now, Blankenship could be thrust into a starting role - and be given the opportunity to enjoy a "breakout" campaign in his second go-around as a professional.

---

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Philadelphia Eagles? Click Here.

Want even more Philadelphia Eagles news? Check out the SI.com team page here