Undrafted to Super Bowl winner, this motivated safety joins Houston's elite defense, eager to prove himself after a strong Eagles run.
The Houston Texans have had a strong start to free agency this offseason. The franchise has added to the offensive line, including signing one of the best offensive linemen available, Braden Smith. Houston also contributed to the running back room, as the franchise brought in David Montgomery from the Detroit Lions following a trade.
The Texans' defense was praised throughout the 2025 season, especially as the season came to a close. The group was absolutely dominant in every facet of the game, so many fans weren't thinking too much about potential defensive additions. That is mainly because the offense was so obviously the problem for Houston down the stretch. However, Houston went out and bolstered its defense during free agency, despite the group being elite in 2025.
Houston added to the defensive front by agreeing to contracts with two defensive ends in Dominique Robinson and Logan Hall. The franchise also attacked the secondary as the organization signed safety Reed Blankenship to a three-year deal worth just under $25 million.
Blankenship has quite a story. He went undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State, but he made the Philadelphia Eagles' roster as a rookie in 2022. He has been a mainstay on their defense ever since, and now he lands in Houston. He went from being undrafted and having a signing bonus of roughly $5,000 as a rookie to now inking a deal for nearly $25 million.
Blankenship was a leader for the Eagles over the last three seasons. He has been a consistent starter for three seasons, and he went to two Super Bowls with Philadelphia, winning Super Bowl LIX over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The safety's best seasons came in 2023 and 2024, when he recorded 7 interceptions and 191 tackles over that two-year stretch, and Houston is hoping to get that level of play from Blankenship for the Texans. NFL expert Mike Jones wrote about this signing during a piece for The Athletic, "Blankenship delivered two outstanding seasons in 2023 and 2024, recording a combined 191 tackles and seven interceptions, but then had a bit of a down year in 2025. The Texans are hoping he can provide additional support for a secondary that includes Derek Stingley Jr. and Jalen Pitre to help further elevate their already championship-caliber defense."
Jones noted that Blankenship had a somewhat down year in 2025, recording just one interception and 83 total tackles. That could mean he is extra motivated coming to Houston, especially since Philadelphia did not want to bring him back.