'Houston really wants me': Why Reed Blankenship signed with the Texans

Reed Blankenship could have signed with any team this offseason and been a welcome addition. After winning earning the title of captain and serving as an anchor for the Philadelphia Eagles' secondary on two different Super Bowl runs, any team could have targeted him as the next big name for their unit. But something stood out about his meeting with the Houston Texans that led to a three-year deal being signed last week.

Before the legal tampering period, teams are allowed to contact five players they would like to sign. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans used one of those calls to give Blankenship an inside look at the team, the vision for 2026 and his future role with the franchise. When he hung up, Blankenship was sold on coming to Houston.

"I was with my wife and I'm like, ‘I really feel like Houston really wants me,'" Blankenship told reporters via Zoom on Wednesday afternoon. "That honestly felt like the first time in my whole NFL career that somebody really wanted me as a player and as a person to come and perform for them. ” S Reed Blankenship on signing with the Texans, via @AaronWilson_NFL : "That honestly felt like the first time in my whole career, that somebody really wanted me as a player and as a person.

" pic. twitter. com/fcJNoBNiNC — Underdog NFL (@UnderdogNFL) March 19, 2026 Blankenship, a former undrafted free agent-turned-captain, is expected to be the missing link for Houston's defense and the long-term answer at safety.