Reed Blankenship says Eagles will maintain the swagger that C.J. Gardner-Johnson provided
'We are not going to lose that swag'Eagles safety Reed Blankenship says they are not gonna lose that aggressiveness that Cj Gardner Johnson brought to the defense. Reed says he wants to see each of the competitors at the other safety spot succeed and he is their biggest… pic.twitter.com/7v9wkFoavD
The Eagles traded C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, but his presence in the locker room will be felt for years to come. Following Thursday's practice at the NovaCare Complex, star safety Reed Blankenship told the media that the "swagger and aggressiveness' Gardner-Johnson brought to the defense will be maintained.
One of the youngest rosters in the NFL, the Eagles need to free up as much money as possible to keep their foundation together, and Gardner-Johnson was a casualty of that process. Roseman admittedly was too sentimental with players following their Super Bowl LII victory, and he isn't making that mistake this time around.
Roseman likely wanted to avoid a potential contract dispute with Gardner-Johnson in preparation for paying his younger players. Cam Jurgens, Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean are all on rookie contracts, with Carter projected to reset the defensive tackle market next year.
Andrew Mukuba, Tristin McColum, Sydney Brown, and Andre Sam will compete for the shot at replacing Gardner-Johnson, while DeJean will also see snaps at safety in base looks.
A retooled defense would normally face some reservations about taking a step back in production, but most defensive units don't employ a coordinator like Vic Fangio. In his first season with the Eagles, Philadelphia (278.4 ypg) led the league in total defense for the seventh time in team history, having previously accomplished the feat in 1991, 1981, 1953, 1949, 1945, and 1944 (excludes the 1943 Steagles). Philadelphia ranked first in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game (174.2) for the second consecutive year, following its 2022 performance (179.8). Furthermore, the Eagles finished with the NFL lead in defensive points allowed per game (16.9 — their best figure since 15.8 in 2008), opponent three-and-out percentage (39.0%), and FFs (18, tied).
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