It’s safe to assume that Reed Blankenship and Josiah Scott were longshots to make the roster when the Eagles opened training camp back in late July.
Blankenship was an undrafted free agent out of Middle Tennessee State, while Scott, in his third season out of Michigan State, was competing for a spot in a deep secondary. Sure, Blankenship was a five-year starter at safety for the Blue Raiders and racked up a school record 419 tackles, but that’s a big leap to the NFL for someone far removed from a Power 5 school.
Yet there they were, each intercepting legendary Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in the first half of the Eagles’ 40-33 win Sunday night. It was the first interception of their NFL careers.
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And they might not be taking a seat any time soon. Both Blankenship and Scott could be starting at two of the five defensive back positions, with Blankenship at safety and Scott at nickel corner, for at least another week.
That’s certainly true for Scott, who has replaced Avonte Maddox, who injured his hamstring against Houston on Nov. 3. Maddox isn’t eligible to come off injured reserve until December 11 at the earliest.
It could also be true for Blankenship because safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who leads the NFL with 6 interceptions, could miss some time after suffering a rib injury Sunday night.
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Monday that Gardner-Johnson was still undergoing tests. When asked if IR was a possibility, Sirianni replied: “Hopefully not, but we’re not there yet. I know he was in some pain after he took that hit.”
Blankenship had recently passed K’Von Wallace, the Eagles’ fourth-round pick in 2020, as the third safety. He played the first 2 defensive snaps of his career last Sunday against the Colts. He played 35 snaps, or 71%, against the Packers.
Blankenship didn’t take long to impact the game. He came charging up as Rodgers threw to tight end Tyler Davis inside the Eagles’ 30 yard line in the second quarter, with the Eagles leading 20-14.
“I was cross-keying and I saw Aaron Rodgers looking that way, and I broke on it,” Blankenship said. “I’m surprised he actually threw it, though. I’m happy I got there in time.”
Scott’s interception came in the first quarter, after cornerback Darius Slay deflected Rodgers’ pass. The Eagles scored three plays later for a 13-0 lead.
“Regardless of it being Aaron Rodgers, a great Hall of Fame quarterback, it was the first one of my career,” Scott said. “To get the monkey off my back felt good.”
It felt good to Sirianni as well. After all, the Eagles never did sign or trade for a veteran nickel or safety.
“They work hard, they’re smart and they study hard,” Sirianni said. “But you also have to have talent to do it, and they have that as well … so you have that faith in them.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
