Vic Fangio said Tuesday he expects to have Reed Blankenship available to play in Friday’s game against the Chicago Bears.
Blankenship, the 26-year-old starting safety, suffered a thigh injury in the third quarter of the Eagles’ loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday while making a tackle on running back Javonte Williams. He did not return to action, requiring Sydney Brown to take over his role in the Eagles defense.
The news of Blankenship’s improved health is a boost to a banged-up secondary. Sources told The Inquirer on Monday that Drew Mukuba, the Eagles’ rookie safety, will require surgery to repair a right leg fracture he suffered on what was essentially the second-to-last play of Sunday’s game.
With Mukuba likely on his way to injured reserve, Fangio said Brown is the next man up to start on Friday. Brown, the Eagles’ 2023 third-rounder out of Illinois, played 26 defensive snaps on Sunday, conceding two Jake Ferguson receptions for 26 yards, according to Pro Football Focus.
Fangio was complimentary of Brown in his efforts to stay ready as the third safety this season.
“I think he’s been doing a good job in practice with the reps that he does get,” the Eagles defensive coordinator said. “He’s done a good job staying in tune in the meetings, in the walk-throughs, and I’m excited to see how he does.”
The Eagles will have other depth options at safety on game day behind Blankenship and Brown. Fangio acknowledged that Michael Carter, the 26-year-old defensive back whom the Eagles acquired from the New York Jets ahead of the trade deadline, has been serving as the fourth safety for the last three games.
Additionally, Fangio said there is a chance that Andrè Sam, the 2024 undrafted free-agent safety out of LSU, will be elevated from the practice squad to the game day roster.
Cooper at cornerback
The Eagles also saw attrition at cornerback, as Adoree’ Jackson entered the concussion protocol in the third quarter after making a tackle on Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens.
When Jackson exited the game, Cooper DeJean assumed the outside cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell on a mostly full-time basis. (Kelee Ringo also played one snap on the outside.) Carter took over for DeJean as the nickel cornerback. Fangio called the duo the “next best combination” beyond the starting pair.
It was a tough showing for DeJean. He allowed four receptions on five targets for a team-high 148 yards, according to PFF. However, Fangio wasn’t outwardly critical of the 22-year-old defensive back.
“He got beat a couple times,” Fangio said. “I thought he was tight, just at the catch point, got beat. It’s going to happen some.”
If Jackson can’t play on Friday, Fangio said that “it’s possible” he rolls with the same combination of cornerbacks that ended the game on Sunday. He has been pleased with the contributions of the 5-foot-10, 184-pound Carter, who conceded just one reception on three targets for 7 yards against the Cowboys, according to PFF (although two of those targets were drops).
“I think he’s a good player,” Fangio said. “Good, natural football player. Understands the game. Has got good instincts. Got good technique to his game. He’s quick. We’re pleased to have him.”
Returner revamp
Unsurprisingly, Xavier Gipson’s decision to field a punt at the Eagles’ 2-yard line and subsequent fumble at the 7 late in the fourth quarter of the loss to the Cowboys wasn’t part of special teams coordinator Michael Clay’s plan.
The turnover didn’t ultimately amount to a Cowboys score, as the Eagles defense forced a turnover on downs when Dak Prescott threw an incomplete fourth-and-1 pass for Ferguson at the goal line. Still, Clay acknowledged that his group has to know when to be “at the mercy of the bounce“ on the return depending on the field position.
“Sometimes, you saw in the Rams game against Seattle, that ball hit at the 1½-foot line and it bounced out,” Clay said. “You just tip your cap. That’s a heck of a job right there. So any time we can control what we can control, we would like that.
“But again, we’re not out there in between the white lines. We try to give as much confidence in our guys to go out there and make a play; it’s just really unfortunate that it happened at that juncture of the game.”
Gipson didn’t just turn the ball over on the play. He also suffered a shoulder injury and was spotted in the locker room after the game sporting a sling on his right arm.
The Eagles have a variety of options to replace Gipson as both the punt returner and kick returner (alongside Will Shipley) if he can’t play. Before the Eagles claimed Gipson off waivers from the New York Giants, running back Tank Bigsby served as a kick returner.
However, Bigsby muffed a kick in the Week 6 loss to the Giants that forced the Eagles offense to start a drive at their own 7-yard line. He was stripped of his kick-return duties afterward. Still, Clay expressed that he hasn’t lost confidence in Bigsby if they call upon him Friday.
“Tank works extremely hard,” Clay said. “We’ve been working him every day. Maybe you guys see him on Thursdays catching kicks from Jake [Elliott], things of that nature. In walk-through, going through the mechanics. So he’s always in that mix for us to be a returner.”
Meanwhile, Jahan Dotson had been serving as the Eagles’ punt returner before Gipson joined the team. Britain Covey, who spent time as the team’s punt returner over the last two seasons, is an option on the practice squad. Clay wouldn’t divulge who will be assuming those return-specialist roles against the Bears, though.
“Obviously, the roster is so much in flux and obviously that happens to special teams so much,” Clay said. “That’s what we do. We prepare, not just one guy. We prepare the entire roster for it if someone does go down or if things of that nature.
“So we have players in place. Howie [Roseman] does a good job with the roster, giving us an opportunity to fill that void if someone does get nicked or banged up throughout the game or throughout the week.”
