The “Next Man Up” philosophy has worked well for the Philadelphia Eagles in recent years, but there might be a key component to that equation missing as the franchise tries to repeat as Super Bowl champions in 2025.
In order for their to be a “Next Man Up” there needs to be an actual “Next Man” already on the roster — something the Eagles are sorely missing at safety after C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded to the Houston Texans.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox thinks the solution for Philadelphia and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio could come in the form of free agent safety Julian Blackmon.
“Blackmon is young and possesses positional versatility — he’s played free safety, in the box and in the slot—but he may be best as a schemed-specific coverage safety,” Knox wrote. “The Philadelphia Eagles would be a terrific fit for Blackmon. He could be a proverbial chess piece in Vic Fangio’s defense, used specifically in advantageous coverage matchups.”
Blackmon is a free agent after spending the first 5 seasons of his career with the Indianapolis Colts and Spotrac projects his market value at a 3-year, $24 million contract — which seems like a massive overpay for someone who played 2024 on a 1-year, $3.7 million contract.
For the Eagles, a starting point might be a 1-year, $5 million offer for Blackmon then see where it goes from there.
Blackmon’s Versatility Brings Added Value for Eagles
Blackmon played 3 years at cornerback before becoming an All-American and All-Pac-12 season at safety for the University of Utah in 2019 and the Colts selected him in the third round (No. 85 overall) in the 2020 NFL draft.
The Colts used Blackmon as a plug-and-play starter as a rookie. He bounced back from a torn ACL that cost him the final 11 games of the 2021 season to start 11 games in 2022 and has been playing the best football of his career the last 2 seasons. Blackmon has started 31 games over the last 2 seasons with 7 interceptions, 174 tackles and 12 pass deflections in that stretch.
Eagles Parted Ways With Key Parts of Super Bowl Team
The Eagles sent Gardner-Johnson via a trade on March 11, along with a sixth round pick in the 2026 NFL draft in exchange for former first round pick and offensive guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth round pick.
“According to multiple reports, the Eagles have agreed to trade Gardner-Johnson to the Texans,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on March 11. “They’ll also send a 2026 sixth-round pick to Houston in exchange for guard Kenyon Green and a 2026 fifth-round selection. Gardner-Johnson spent the 2023 season in Philly and then returned to sign a three-year contract after a year in Detroit. He had 59 tackles, six interceptions and a forced fumble in the regular season and then posted 14 tackles en route to a Super Bowl win.”
Gardner-Johnson was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round (No. 105 overall) of the 2019 NFL draft and still had 2 seasons remaining on the 3-year, $27 million contract he signed with the Eagles in March 2024.
In 2022, he had a career high 67 tackles and led the NFL with 6 interceptions in just 12 games and helped lead Philadelphia to the Super Bowl.
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