The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released Rodrigo Blankenship after losing the kicker competition to Chase McLaughlin.
An American professional football placekicker, Rodrigo John Blankenship, 27, born on January 29, 1997, played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs.
Highlights
- Rodrigo Blankenship suffered a hip injury during pre-warmup sessions.
- His injury featured a creeping, stabbing sensation every time he tried to kick.
- After being waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he became a free agent.
He has received considerable media attention for the thick glasses that he wears during games.
Blakenship entered Georgia in 2015 as a preferred walk-on and redshirted his first year. As a redshirt freshman, he earned the starting kicker spot.
He signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2020.
In his NFL debut, he made both extra-point and two of three field goal attempts in a 27-20 loss to the Jackson Jaguars.
Rodrigo was among a group of kickers brought in to work out with the Arizona Cardinals on October 3, 2022, after kicker Matt Prater suffered a right hip injury.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Waived Placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship
In August 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers elected to waive kicker Rodrigo Blankenship after signing him earlier in the offseason.
At the time, Blankenship was returning from an injury and was fighting to earn a spot on the team’s roster.
His lone appearance with the Buccaneers came in a pre-season game against the New York Jets on August 19, 2023.
After the Buccaneers waived Rodrigo, the kicker Chase McLaughlin took the placekicker role for the 2023 season.
Officially, he was released on August 21, 2023, after losing the kicker competition with Chase.
Currently, a placekicker, Blankenship, nicknamed “Hot Rod,” is a free agent.
Rodrigo Blankenship Suffered A Hip Injury In 2021
Former Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship dealt with a hip injury but continued to play through it during the game against the Baltimore Ravens.
He suffered an injury during pre-game warm-ups in October 2021.
According to Rodrigo himself, the injury featured a creeping, stabbing sensation every time he tried to kick.
Following his injury, he was placed on injured reserve and struggled to regain peak performance.
However, the team brought Michael Badgley to replace him, and Badgley remained the Colts’ kicker even though Blankenship was healthy enough to return.
His body of work wasn’t good enough for the Colts. He converted 46 of 56 field-goal attempts, including the playoffs.
Later, head coach Reich made it clear the team had to decide whether it could show patience with Blankenship. He said,
“No matter who you are, if you play long enough, you’re going to have a bad day, or bad days, and your confidence is going to waver,’’ he said. “It’s how you respond to that.
Frank Reich
Rodrigo went through hip surgery in February 2023 and is making significant progress. He took to his official Instagram handle to announce the news with a caption,
Today marks 8 weeks since my hip surgery. Making great progress, still taking it one day at a time. Thanks to everybody cheering me on. I’ll be swinging again in no time!
Rodrigo Blankenship
Additional Information
- Rodrigo Blankenship was born to his father, Ken Blankenship, and his mother, Izabella Blankenship.
- He is a big fan of LEGO products and frequently speaks about how he loves building up the big models.
- In 2020, he was named Arthur Ashe Jr, Male Sports Scholar of the Year by Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.
