Philadelphia Eagles’ Reed Blankenship hauls hay all the way to Super Bowl LIX
The starters for Philadelphia’s defense in the Eagles’ 55-23 victory over the Washington Commanders in the NFC Championship Game on Jan. 26 included four first-round, two second-round, two third-round and two fourth-round draft picks and one undrafted player.
Safety Reed Blankenship had become the career leader in tackles at Middle Tennessee, but he did not get chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft. This week, he’s preparing for his second appearance in the Super Bowl.
“To come this far, especially as an undrafted guy, having a chip on your shoulder,” Blankenship said on Tuesday. “Shout-out to all undrafted guys to never stop working. And shout-out to all the coaches that believed in me, too. I couldn’t have got here by myself.”
Blankenship said he had plenty of role models of the never-stop-working creed while growing up in the small Alabama town of Anderson.
“Let me tell you, all those blue-collar people work hard every day,” Blankenship said. “My dad, my mom, everybody in my family included, got up, went to work, didn’t complain and instilled in me my work ethic today. And shout-out to all the people that allowed me to work on their farms. Long, hot summer days after workouts, hauling hay and doing all that, you know, it builds character.”
At West Limestone High School, Blankenship earned All-State recognition in his final two seasons and won the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s Class 4A Back of the Year Award in 2016. Blankenship completed his prep career with 3,192 rushing yards, 1,056 passing yards, 1,004 receiving yards, 46 touchdowns, 295 tackles and 10 interceptions. He also played on the Wildcats’ AHSAA Class 4A boys’ basketball championship team as a sophomore.
“I think when I was a sophomore or junior in high school, after workouts we’d go and haul hay,” Blankenship said. “Five of us — and dog-tired — throughout the whole day, and it’s just fun being around guys like that. We were having fun with it, even though it’s hot, 90-something degrees outside, we’re still having fun. You know, you’re with your boys.”
As a rookie, Blankenship played in 10 games with four starts during the regular season. He had 291 defensive snaps and 90 special-teams plays in those games, then started one playoff contest and was on the field for one defensive snap and 24 special-teams plays in Philadelphia’s 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12, 2023.
The Eagles are playing Kansas City again in Super Bowl LIX at 5:30 p.m. CST Sunday at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. FOX will televise the game.
“It’s a dream come true,” Blankenship said. “I mean, it’s very rare to come this far, especially my second time in three years. I’m living out my childhood dream.
“Every time I play football, I smile. My inner child comes out. I’m like, ‘Let’s have fun.’ Nothing changes, even though it’s one of the biggest stages in the world. It’s still a hundred-yard field; it’s still the same football I’ve been playing with.”
In 2023, Blankenship became a starter in the Philadelphia secondary. He led the Eagles with 113 tackles, 79 solo tackles and three interceptions in 2023 even though he dealt with a groin injury late in the season that caused him to miss the Philadelphia’s 32-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC playoffs.
When Blankenship joined the Eagles in 2022 as an undrafted rookie, he signed a three-year contract for $2.565 million that included $55,000 in guaranteed money.
In April, Philadelphia signed Blankenship to a one-year contract extension for $3.575 million that included a $1.85 million signing bonus. Blankenship said he purchased “my dream truck” – a GMC AT4X – and got to work for the 2024 season.
- Former Tuscaloosa, Alabama A&M star won 4 Super Bowl rings
- Alabama in the Super Bowl: Tide could tie its single-game player record
- Which NFL player has the best-selling jersey in Alabama?
- Philadelphia Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: ‘My father always told me I had this it factor’
- Would DeVonta Smith trade his Alabama national titles for a Super Bowl victory?
The Eagles stumbled some at the start of the season, reaching their Week 5 bye with a 2-2 record. Philadelphia has lost once in the 16 games since – a 36-33 setback on Dec. 22 when the Washington Commanders scored a touchdown with six seconds remaining.
After recording 78 tackles and four interceptions in the 2024 regular season, Blankenship had 24 tackles and one fumble recovery in the NFC playoffs. His 17 solo tackles are tied for the most in this postseason.
“We knew it was going to be a grind regardless of who you have on the roster,” Blankenship said. “We just got to click. I mean, it doesn’t matter if you have all the superstars in the world, they got to click. So I feel like that’s what we did the most. Like, we built this family, this brotherhood, starting OTAs and we just ran with it. (Coach Nick) Siriani has done a great job. He implemented that. We did the leadership council. He put a couple of new guys in there, and me being a part of it, it kind of opened my eyes, like, ‘OK, this team kind of trusts me to lead in a different way.’ Not a vocal way, but a different way. But like I said, it starts with Sirianni and what he’s what he’s built this program by.
“After the bye week, because, obviously, you’re 2-2, early bye, everybody is criticizing you the most. And you can either go down in the dumps big-time and never come back out, or you can say it’s us against the world. We’re going to lean on each other, everybody’s shoulder, and just go with it. And I feel like we did that. And, obviously, we got on a really good run. And now we’re here.”
FOR MORE OF AL.COM’S COVERAGE OF THE NFL, GO TO OUR NFL PAGE
Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on X at @AMarkG1.