Just days before the NFL Draft, Reed Blankenship heard some buzz. The rumor? His team, the Philadelphia Eagles, might be looking at Cooper DeJean. The 25-year-old safety had his fingers crossed, hoping it was true. DeJean, a defensive back from the University of Iowa, wasn’t just another draft prospect—he was regarded as one of the most athletic players in his class. But for Blankenship, there was another reason to get excited.
“I’ll be honest,” Blankenship admitted. “I knew there was a white cornerback that was really good, and I thought, ‘Man, it’d be cool if he came to the Eagles.’ Just to have another white guy in the secondary, you know?”
And just like that, his wish came true. The Eagles selected DeJean in the second round, making Blankenship no longer the only white defensive back on the team.
If there’s one thing Blankenship enjoys, it’s poking fun at himself. He knows he’s a rarity in today’s NFL, but DeJean? Even more so. According to USA Today, before DeJean, the last white starting cornerback in the league was Jason Sehorn, who played his final game on January 10, 2004. The Broncos’ Riley Moss, another Iowa product, had started 14 games this season after seeing limited action as a rookie in 2023. So, having one of the game’s top slot cornerbacks be a quiet, unassuming kid from Odebolt, Iowa—population 985—was something nobody saw coming. But for Blankenship, that uniqueness only added to the fun.
His mission? Get DeJean to lean into it.
At first, it wasn’t easy. When DeJean arrived for OTAs in the spring, he was practically silent. Blankenship understood—he’d been in the same boat back in 2022. He remembered how teammates like Darius Slay and Marcus Epps had helped him break out of his shell. Now, it was his turn to pay it forward.
“I just kept at it,” Blankenship said. “I’d be like, ‘What’s up, what’s up, what’s up?’ every single day. Just letting him know—without saying it outright—that I was there if he needed anything.”
Eventually, the rookie started to crack. A few jokes here and there. Then, they started hanging out outside of football. Golf outings became a thing. Blankenship took DeJean to some of his favorite restaurants in town, especially Tacconelli’s, which quickly became a weekly staple for DeJean.
And then there was the cowboy boots.
A few months ago, the two of them made a trip to the King of Prussia Mall, with Blankenship—an Athens, Alabama native—offering his expert opinion. “I told him, ‘Those boots are cool. You should get those,’” Blankenship laughed.
Their friendship only grew stronger. They started timing their arrivals at the Eagles’ facility to make sure they walked in together. Pregame meals? Always together. Heading to the stadium before games? Side by side. Fans took notice, and soon, memes started spreading online.
One meme, in particular, stood out—a photo of a white wine selection with a sign above it that read “Exciting Whites.” That nickname took on a life of its own throughout the Eagles’ playoff run.
“I’d been seeing those memes since I got here,” Blankenship said. “But once he got here, and they put us together, it really took off.”
It wasn’t long before the nickname made it into real life. Early in the season, DeJean was in a Philadelphia mall when two college students approached him. They told him they had made ‘90s-style “Exciting Whites” T-shirts. DeJean told them to send a few to the Eagles’ facility.
At first, Blankenship wasn’t sure about it. “I didn’t know what to think,” he said. “So, I asked Slay, some of my teammates, coaches, ‘Do y’all think this is cool?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, that’s cool!’ So, I figured, all right.”
They wore the shirts before their Nov. 14 game against the Commanders, and just like that, it became a sensation.
“The guys who made the shirts told me their website blew up,” DeJean said. “Orders were coming in like crazy. Everybody loved it.”
Now, the nickname has stuck. The NFL’s social media accounts have embraced it, and DeJean and Blankenship hear “Exciting Whites” everywhere they go. When fans ask for autographs, they sometimes request something extra.
“I’ve had to sign ‘Exciting Whites’ on both of our pictures before,” Blankenship said, laughing. “Because sometimes he won’t do it, so I have to. Somebody’s gotta do it.”
Jokes aside, DeJean is grateful for Blankenship’s persistence. Turning 22 on Super Bowl Sunday, he’s now 1,205 miles away from his hometown of Odebolt, adjusting to life in a major city for the first time. At first, the transition was tough.
“It was hard,” DeJean admitted. “Not knowing anybody, coming from Iowa, going to [the University of Iowa], never living outside the state. This was my first time in a big city. It was overwhelming. But these guys helped. And [Blankenship] definitely helped.”
Having an “older brother” figure made all the difference. “He was always checking in, talking [expletive] to me, too,” DeJean said. “Just random stuff like that. It put a smile on my face. It felt like we were best friends right away.”
And now, with a Super Bowl just around the corner, the “Exciting Whites” are on the verge of cementing their legacy.
Regardless of the game’s outcome, though, this unlikely duo is going to keep embracing their unique place in the league. Blankenship already has ideas for what’s next.
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