Reed Blankenship’s first game in Houston gave the Eagles plenty of reason to feel good about how their safety situation played out this offseason.
Blankenship, the former undrafted standout from Middle Tennessee State, left Philadelphia and landed a three-year deal with the Texans in what looked like a clean win for everyone involved. Houston got a player to plug into DeMeco Ryans’ defense, Blankenship got a fresh start, and the Eagles had to move on without him. After Week 1, though, the early returns were ugly.
Against the Bills, Blankenship had a tough debut in a game where Buffalo topped 30 points against a defense that was supposed to be among the league’s best. Pro Football Focus handed him a 31.5 grade, which was the second-worst mark among qualifying safeties. PFF also said he was targeted six times and gave up all six catches.
The tape matched the numbers. Blankenship struggled in coverage, and one of the defining moments came late in the second quarter when he went for a Josh Allen interception and came away empty.
In doing so, he left D.J. Moore uncovered, and Moore cruised in for a touchdown.
Houston eventually lost by five.
It was a rough opening night for Blankenship, even if the assignment was a brutal one. Going up against Allen and that Bills offense is no easy task for any secondary, and one game doesn’t define a season. Still, the way Allen picked apart the Texans made it easy to see why Eagles fans are feeling better about the decision to let Blankenship walk.
The schedule does not offer much relief next. Houston hosts the Bengals, which means Blankenship and the Texans defense will be trying to slow down Joe Burrow after already dealing with Allen.
That’s a difficult stretch for any unit. Whether Blankenship bounces back or has another long afternoon is now the next question.
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