Injury Update on Philadelphia Eagles Safety

The Philadelphia Eagles are coming yet another dominant win, utterly dismantling their NFC East rival New York Giants 48-22 in Week 14 to move to 12-1. However, there was one dark cloud looming over the triumphant day: safety Reed Blankenship exited with a knee injury. Thankfully, he appears to have escaped with a relatively mild low-grade sprain.

The #Eagles received good news on S Reed Blankenship’s knee following scans today. It’s a low-grade sprain, which makes it a short-term injury, sources say. Timeline still TBD but not a candidate for IR. Positive development for the Birds, who are a bit banged up at safety.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) December 12, 2022

A low-grade sprain shouldn't require Blankenship to land on injured reserve and would keep him available for the closing stretch of the season. He played 18 snaps in yesterday's start before his exit.

Blankenship has emerged as a key cog in the Eagles' secondary ever since safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney in Week 12. Blankenship replaced Gardner-Johnson in the lineup in the 40-33 win over the Green Bay Packers, nabbing his first career interception, then played 100% of the defensive snaps in a Week 13 35-10 win over the Tennessee Titans. Any unavailability on his part will likely leave the Eagles scrambling at safety.

Blankenship joined the Eagles as an undrafted free agent earlier this year. He played almost exclusively special teams before the injury to Gardner-Johnson but has distinguished himself well in his limited action, earning an impressive 86.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his efforts this year.