Though it seemed this year may have been in doubt, the Indianapolis Colts extended their undrafted rookie free agent streak to 22 consecutive years following the team’s initial roster cuts.
As undrafted rookie kicker Rodrigo Blankenship won the kicking competition over Chase McLaughlin, the Colts have now had an undrafted rookie make the roster for Week 1 in 22 consecutive years.
>>>READ: Analysis of the initial 53-man roster<<<
Blankenship is coming off of a close competition in training camp. Both kickers had their ups and downs, but the Colts decided to go with the Georgia product who finished his collegiate career by converting all 200 of his extra-point attempts.
Blankenship will be the first kicker to officially fill the shoes of Adam Vinatieri, whose 2019 season included 14 missed kicks and wound up ending early due to injury. That’s when McLaughlin took over for the final month and earned his spot for the offseason.
Blankenship will hold an important role for the Colts as they are likely to be in close games and will also be known as the one who extended the team’s undrafted rookie streak.