Giants strike again and steal yet another cornerback from the Saints
The New Orleans Saints waived cornerback Rico Payton as a part of finalizing their 53 man roster for the upcoming 2025 NFL season. The team had intentions of resigning him to their practice squad, but he was instantly claimed off of waivers by the New York Giants.
Every year organizations are responsible for the difficult task of cutting players, and every year you have players you hope you can get back on the practice squad to continue their development. That won't be the case for Payton
This move left many fans shocked and disappointed. Payton becomes the second cornerback that the Saints have lost out on to the New York Giants this offseason, as they were outbid by earlier in March for Paulson Adeebo.
Rico Payton felt like a sure thing for the Saints practice squad
I know it may sound crazy to be disappointed about not losing a player you just cut, but that's the thing about expectations. They kind of set you up for failure, and that's exactly what happened with Payton. There was an expectation he would slide under the radar through waivers and land on the practice squad.
Payton signed with the Saints in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh State, after having a strong preseason. He appeared in 16 games and mainly contributed on the special teams. He dealt with an injury this preseason. That opened the door for Rejzohn Wright, and Wright ran through the door.
Wright had a really strong preseason finale, where he led the team in tackles and had an impressive pass deflection that displayed his length. Wright's biggest play of the preseason came as he deflected the pass that led to Jonas Sanker's dramatic interception at the end of the Jaguars game.
The final spot in the cornerback room likely came down to Wright versus Payton. Clearly we know who the Saints went with. It wouldn't have been surprising, however, to see Payton get called up on gameday occasionally. That and his developmental potential are the biggest reasons many Saints fans were disappointed to see Payton get claimed off waivers.
Reed Blankenship's recommendation paved the way for former Eagles DB's return
Many characteristics go into being a true leader on a team, and Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship is proving that time and time again.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was speaking to the media on Sunday when he discussed the team bringing back safety Marcus Epps. Sirianni shared the story of how Blankenship made the recommendation for the team to sign Epps.
"One thing when we were talking about bringing Marcus back, Reed Blankenship would talk to us about how much Marcus helped him develop as a player and helped learn the scheme, so (Marcus Epps is) really sharp, and he's got great leadership qualities," Sirianni said via Eagles Wire. "t's awesome that that's the memory Reed has of Marcus, that he introduced him into this thing when he was a rookie and Marcus was in his fourth year, and he helped him grow.”
Blankenship was an undrafted rookie for the Eagles in 2022, while Epps was in his third year with the team. That would be Epps' first full season as a starter at safety, as he helped the Eagles make the Super Bowl.
More proof that Blankenship is more ready than ever to be a leader on the defense
There was so much veteran leadership that left the Eagles' defense in the offseason with Darius Slay, Brandon Graham, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and Josh Sweat. It caused many in the media to worry about who would be able to step up, but Slay had told everyone to keep their eye on Blankenship.
So far, it has not been a disappointment with Blankenship. He's entering his fourth season in the NFL and has been a full-time starter for the last two. During his three-year career, Blankenship has racked up 225 tackles, 19 pass deflections, eight interceptions, two fumble recoveries, two tackles for loss, and one quarterback hit in 40 games.
This past week, he was named as one of the eight team captains for the Eagles. He and Zack Baun were the only defenders to earn the "C" on their uniforms.
Eagles fans can't be more excited to see Blankenship take a step up in his leadership as he's looking to prove to general manager Howie Roseman that he deserves a new contract with the team. With how he's playing, that might come sooner rather than later.
