Eagles S Reed Blankenship Staying 'Hungry & Humble' as Starting Chance Knocks
PHILADELPHIA – The safety who played more defensive snaps than all the other Philadelphia Eagles rookies a season ago, including top-three draft picks Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, and Nakobe Dean, strode to the stage after the team's OTA practice in South Philly on Thursday afternoon.
Reed Blankenship looked confident and much bigger. Almost unrecognizable from last year.
Asked if he put on weight in the offseason, Blankenship had jokes.
“Did I put on weight? You talking about good weight or bad weight? Good weight?" he said.
Informed by SI.com's Eagles Today that he looks more 'swole,' he added: “I’ve just been working in the offseason, too. We have a good program here. … I felt like I needed to get my body in more shape and getting a little more muscle will help me in the long run.”
Mission accomplished.
Next up? Becoming a starter.
With Marcus Epps and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson gone, the opportunity is knocking.
“He realizes this is an opportunity for him to really go and snatch this position,” said Eagles defensive backs coach D.K. McDonald. “I love how he competes. I love how smart he is and what he does on the field. Now, he’s taken that next step to being a leader back there on the back end for us, which is really fun to watch.”
Sounds like a mission accomplished on the starting front, too.
“Obviously nothing’s really changed,” said Blankenship. “I love the game. I want to play it for as long as my body allows me to. Rent’s due every day. That’s what (head coach Nick) Sirianni talks about, no matter what position you’re in.
"I haven’t felt that I’ve arrived, yet. I’m still staying humble, staying hungry and that’s going to last throughout my career.”
McDonald has also noticed Blankenship’s growth in confidence as well, as one would expect after an injury to Gardner-Johnson forced the undrafted free agent from Middle Tennessee State to step in and start four games last season.
He ended the year playing 45 percent of the defensive snaps compared to 20 percent for Davis, and three percent each for Jurgens and Dean.
“One thing that hasn’t changed about Reed is he’s always been a hard worker, he’s always been curious, and that hasn’t changed for him at all,” said McDonald. “What has changed is naturally going out on the field and having the success that he did and taking some lumps that he did.
“Now, he’s playing with a little more confidence now that we’re out there on the field, but that’s what you want from a guy who’s been out there and played NFL games, been out there in the Linc. You want a guy now to be able to be a little more comfortable in his communication, take charge more.”
Blankenship isn’t taking anything for granted, though he admits to missing Gardner-Johnson and Epps.
“Those are two guys I looked up to,” he said. “Marcus Epps, especially. Me coming in as a rookie I didn’t know a lot of guys. He was my go-to. I kind of looked at him as a big brother. I asked him a lot of questions.
“That’s the type of vet I like to have in a room, that you can ask a question regardless of who you are, a rookie or whatever, and he’s going to answer you. Same with CJ. They are really good dudes and I had fun with them. That’s the most important thing is to have fun in the room.”
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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