Eagles' Howie Roseman: Decision to Let Reed Blankenship Go Was About Long-Term Vision

Howie Roseman gave a thoughtful and substantive answer at the NFL’s Annual Meeting when discussing the departure of safety Reed Blankenship in free agency.

For the Eagles’ GM, it wasn’t simply about losing a good player at what appeared to be a fair price (Blankenship signed a three-year, $24.75 million deal with the Houston Texans). Instead, the decision was tied to the team’s broader vision and long-term roster-building plan for 2026 and beyond.

“Sometimes, as you’re going through free agency, you have incomplete information,” Roseman explained. “So you have to make some decisions based on where you are in the moment and the things you’re trying to accomplish.

"And if you do something with incomplete information, it may preclude you from doing something else that you want to do down the road. So some of these signings that happen in free agency — when you look back, you can say, ‘Hey, that was a really good price for a really good player.’”

The Eagles entered free agency believing Blankenship would command an eight-figure salary on the open market ($10–11 million per year). By the time the market dipped, Philadelphia had other priorities in play.

“We have this plan, we have this vision, and we have a determination about certain guys we don’t want to let leave over this year, next year — really over the next two or three years,” Roseman said. “So making sure that if there’s an ability to add to those positions, we have the resources to do it.”

Draft Proofing

Veteran safety Marcus Epps at practice on Aug. 28, 2025. | John McMullen/Eagles On SI

After losing out on Blankenship, the Eagles also traded backup safety Sydney Brown to Atlanta in exchange for Day 3 draft positioning (in the fourth and sixth rounds) in next month’s draft. In turn, they brought back veteran safety Marcus Epps on a one-year deal and signed veteran J.T. Gray, a three-time All-Pro special teamer.

However, Roseman made it clear the Eagles are far from finished addressing the safety position.

“I think it starts with our second-round pick, Andrew Mukuba,” the GM said. “We see a lot of growth from the first to the second year, and we expect that from him. We’re really excited about him.I think we have some guys — either that we brought back or that we signed — that we have confidence in who can play the position.

"And again, I go back to the fact that we don’t play for a long time, and we don’t go to training camp for a long time. We still have a draft, we still have a lot of players who are available, and more players will come and go after the draft. So, like any other position, it’s hard for me to talk about the totality of the position when I know we’re going to add to that position in some shape or form.”

Blankenship developed from an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State — who originally signed for just $5,000 — into a Super Bowl-winning safety, a team captain, and the traffic cop of Vic Fangio’s defense on the back end.

“I’d say, first of all, what an unbelievable story,” Roseman said. “Coming in here, being a part of our team for four years, two Super Bowls, a starter, a captain. It’s hard when you lose guys like that. Love the person, love the player.”