Eagles don’t need CJGJ’s swagger—Reed Blankenship says they’re just fine without him

At some point, the noise just fades into the background — and according to Reed Blankenship, that’s exactly what’s happening with C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The former Eagles safety has been on a bit of a farewell tour ever since getting traded to the Texans. He just can’t seem to stop talking about how things ended in Philly, and at this point, it’s like, who cares? The Eagles certainly don’t. And if you needed any confirmation of that, Blankenship delivered it this week when asked about what the team lost with CJGJ’s departure.

Eagles Moving Forward Without CJGJ

“We’re not gonna worry about that anymore,” Blankenship said when asked about replacing Gardner-Johnson’s trademark swagger. “We have the guys in the room to continue that.”

Simple. Direct. No drama.

Blankenship isn’t just brushing off a former teammate — he’s making it clear that this defense isn’t built around one guy anymore. He’s been in the building longer than anyone else in that safety room, and it sounds like he’s finally ready to lead. “It’s time,” he added. “It’s time to take the reins… Nobody is left behind.”

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That’s the kind of energy you want to hear from one of your starters, especially when you lose a vocal player like CJGJ. But swagger isn’t what wins games. Consistency does. Accountability does. And it sounds like Blankenship is more focused on walking the walk than talking the talk.

Gardner-Johnson, for all the highlight plays and jawing on the sideline, led the team in picks in 2022 but spent last year elsewhere while the Eagles secondary struggled to find an identity. Now he’s gone again, and somehow still talking about how disrespected he feels. But in the locker room? That chapter’s closed.

This team doesn’t need CJGJ to remind them of what they had. They’ve got guys like Blankenship stepping up and setting the tone. They’ve got Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Sydney Brown waiting to explode. The defense is younger, hungrier, and from the sound of it — still just as confident.

Let Gardner-Johnson talk. The Eagles have bigger things to worry about.