From small-town Alabama and Ohio to the NFL, the Eagles’ undrafted rookies embrace under-the-radar roles

Throughout the season, The Inquirer’s Eagles reporters will compile a weekly report on what they’re hearing and seeing from inside the locker room at the NovaCare Complex.

Kicker Cameron Dicker wasn’t the only undrafted rookie to make his NFL debut for the Eagles in Week 5.

Safety Reed Blankenship and offensive lineman Josh Sills also were active on game day for the first time this season. Both players were limited to special teams, but Sunday’s victory over Arizona marked a significant moment in their careers.

“It was a dream come true,” Blankenship said. “Fulfilling a dream I’ve had since I was a little kid. You never thought you’d be at this moment in your life. You’re on the big stage now. It was a crazy experience.”

Blankenship combined with defensive back Zech McPhearson to make his first tackle on the opening kickoff. Before this season, Blankenship had never played special teams in his career. The native of Athens, Ala., attended Middle Tennessee State, where he was a five-year starter and finished as the program’s all-time leading tackler (419).

Upon his arrival to Philadelphia in the spring, Blankenship embraced his new role with the Eagles, whether it be working with the defensive scout team or on special teams. During the preseason games, he popped on film with his bone-crushing and technically sound tackles.

“Reed’s been awesome,” starting safety Marcus Epps said. “He’s doing a great job. He’s in there coming to work every day, he works really hard, and is willing to do anything with the team. He really meshes well with everybody in the room. We were all really happy for him.

“Everybody plays a huge role, whether it’s on scout team or special teams. We’ve got a pretty good vibe in the room right now. Everybody is embracing their role. Reed is a character. He’s got a really good personality. He likes to joke around with us. It’s been a real pleasure having him in the DB room with us.”

For Sills, the versatile reserve offensive lineman appeared as an extra blocker on all four of the Eagles’ kicks (two field goals, two extra points). Sunday actually was Sills’ second time playing at State Farm Field this year — in his final game with Oklahoma State, Sills played in the Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame.

“It was pretty crazy,” Sills said of his NFL debut. “It was anything and everything you could imagine.”

Sills and Blankenship are two of four undrafted rookies on the roster, along with cornerback Josh Jobe, wide receiver/punt returner Britain Covey. The Eagles have nine rookies total.

While Blankenship didn’t have any family or friends in attendance, Sills’ parents, John and Kim, booked a last-minute flight in order to witness their son’s debut. It wasn’t the easiest task traveling cross-country from the family’s hometown of Sarahsville, Ohio, to Glendale, Ariz.

“The funniest thing is earlier in the week, I told them I wasn’t sure I was going to be active, and it wouldn’t be worth them traveling all that way,” Sills said. “I actually got done with everything on Friday, and told my dad, because they weren’t planning on going to the game because I wasn’t dressing. So I called my dad after he got off work, my mom was still at work, and he ended up finding plane tickets on Friday evening and they flew out Saturday morning.

“After the game, we talked about how awesome of a journey it was from my small town in Ohio to college games to being able to suit up in the NFL. My parents were very emotional. It was awesome how they were able to take it all in with me.”

» READ MORE: Get to know the Eagles’ 3 undrafted rookies on the 53-man roster: Reed Blankenship, Josh Jobe, Josh Sills

When offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland first introduced Sills to the rest of the group during minicamp, veteran right tackle Lane Johnson jokingly gave Sills a hard time for attending Oklahoma State. Johnson, of course, attended the program’s rival school, Oklahoma. It didn’t take long for Johnson to realize Sills had the makeup required to cling to a spot on the 53-man roster.

“He’s a tough dude,” Johnson said. “Everybody’s got a lot of respect for him by how hard he works, and how he attacks his days. He’s got that grit to him. That’s really what it takes to be an O-lineman. There’s not a lot of good [stuff] that can happen to you on the field. But that guy has a good work ethic. He can play both guard spots, both tackle spots. The more you can do in this league, the better it’s going to be for you as a young guy.

“The scout team is everything. That’s the most overlooked thing in football. These guys present looks to you week in and week out. It’s almost like sparring partners. Sills goes hard every single day. He plays a big role in how the unit plays on Sunday.”

Added quarterback Jalen Hurts: “It’s very important to have a great relationship with everybody on the team. I say it takes everybody, and it really does. That’s the type of environment you want to be around in order to win big in the end. It takes a collective group. Not individuals, but a team ... it’s everybody.”

Inquirer Eagles beat reporters EJ Smith and Josh Tolentino preview the team’s Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Watch at Inquirer.com/EaglesGameday