Rodrigo

Blankenship

The move means Chase McLaughlin will serve as the Bucs’ kicker this year. Blankenship was waived by the Colts early in the 2022 season and eventually made his way onto the Cardinals’ roster as a replacement for an injured Matt Prater. Blankenship now rejoins the free agent circuit for the third time in less than a year.

Just days after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Blankenship would be trying out with the Buccaneers in minicamp, RapSheet circled back around with news of the team signing him to a deal ahead of training camp. The former Colts and Cardinals kicker has converted 83.3 percent of his field goals since entering the league in 2020 but appeared in just two games last season due to a torn muscle in his leg. Blankenship will now compete for a roster spot with Chase McLaughlin, who took over as the Colts kicker last September after they released Blankenship.

Denny Carter’s funding of an operation to get Blankenship another shot at NFL glory appears to be paying off. While Blankenship is only working out with the Bucs on a tryout basis, Rapoport reports the veteran kicker is “finally healthy for the first time in over a year” after he underwent surgery in January to repair a torn muscle in his leg. Even if he doesn’t catch on with the Buccaneers, the Bucs are reportedly one of several teams interested in Blankenship’s services.

He’ll be the latest replacement kicker for Matt Prater (hip). Blankenship is probably not in a good enough situation tonight to be worth streaming unless your league starts multiple kickers.

With Matt Prater (hip) still ailing and last week’s kicker Matt Ammendola deposed after Kliff Kingsbury refused to trust him, Blankenship will likely get the call-up for Arizona on Thursday Night Football against the Saints. A low over/under and Arizona’s complete lack of chemistry as an offense are among the reasons to not stream Blankenship in his first game back after getting unceremoniously dumped by the Colts following Week 1.

Not only did he miss a 42-yard overtime field goal attempt against the Texans in Week 1, he also booted two different kickoffs out of bounds. The Colts worked out Josh Lambo and Matthew Wright today. Blankenship, 25, will join the kicker tryout circuit.

Rodrigo Blankenship shanked a 42-yard field goal miles right late in the fourth quarter against the Texans and kicked two balls out of bounds on kickoffs. It was as disastrous an outing as a kicker could have. Head coach Frank Reich did not commit to Blankenship, who missed most of 2021 with a hip injury, after the game. Whoever kicks for the Colts should be fantasy viable this season.

Reich noted that Blankenship is healthy enough to kick but Michael Badgley has earned the starting gig. Blankenship will build strength in his hip while he remains on injured reserve. Badgley has been perfect on seven field goals and 19 extra points since joining the team in Week 6. He’s an every-week starter in the archaic fantasy leagues that still utilize the kicker position.

Blankenship did not look right on Monday Night Football, and will now miss at least a week of action. Around The NFL has reported that the Colts have worked out Brett Maher and Michael Badgley as potential replacements. The Colts offense lacks the potency to make the their new kicker particularly relevant, but the Texans do at least play in a dome, which is good place to kick footballs.

The bespectacled Blankenship, a fantasy revelation last season, survives the training camp battle with Pineiro, who did not miss a kick in the preseason and, according to Colts beat writers, kicked well throughout August. There was some buzz in the first week of August that Blankenship’s job was in real danger a year after he logged the fifth most field goals in the NFL. The Colts attempted the fourth most field goals in 2020 -- a key factor in Blankenship’s fantasy usefulness. There’s no reason to reach for Hot Rod in 2021 drafts, though you could do worse than the second-year kicker in the final round of redraft leagues.