Texans To Sign S Reed Blankenship

Blakenship is signing a three-year deal with Houston, per Schefter. The contract is worth $24.75MM.

The safety was a key find by the Eagles front office, as Blankenship joined the Eagles as a UDFA out of Middle Tennessee in 2022. He emerged as a starter during his sophomore campaign and proceeded to spend the next three years in Philly’s lineup. He had a standout campaign in 2023, finishing with 113 tackles and three interceptions, and he added another four picks during the team’s Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2024. That year, he was part of a defense that allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL (174.2).

He started all 16 of his appearances this past season, finishing with 83 stops and one interception. After grading out as at least a top-30 safety through his first three NFL seasons, Pro Football Focus ranked him 89th among 91 qualifiers this past year. That grade was entirely brought down by his coverage score, although he graded much better as a run stopper.

While Calen Bullock was a mainstay in the lineup in 2025, the Texans shuffled through their other safeties, with all of M.J. Stewart, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Jaylen Reed, and K’Von Wallace getting into at least one game where they appeared in 90-plus percent of Houston’s defensive snaps. Blankenship will provide some stability to that unit, where he’ll likely slide next to Bullock in the starting lineup. This move also allows Jalen Pitre, who got in 51 snaps at the position last season, to play as the full-time slot CB.

Meanwhile, the Eagles continue to endure some key subtractions from their defense. Fellow starters Jaelan Phillips (Panthers) and Nakobe Dean (Raiders) have also departed Philly via free agency today.