Tag: Kendall Blanton

7 Chiefs we want to see more from against the Cardinals on Saturday

We want to see more from these seven #Chiefs players in Kansas City’s next preseason matchup against the #Cardinals.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday was disappointing, but Andy Reid and company will get their chance to redeem themselves on Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 of the preseason. Several Chiefs made their mark in Week 1, but others were overshadowed by the performances of players like Justyn Ross, Nikko Remigio, and Chamarri Conner.

With just two games remaining to earn their spot on Kansas City’s 53-man roster, several prospects will need to redouble their efforts against Arizona this weekend.

Here are seven Chiefs we want to see more from when Kansas City travels to the desert on Saturday:

Chiefs TE Jordan Franks placed on practice squad IR, TE Kendall Blanton signed

Former #Rams TE Kendall Blanton is back on the #Chiefs’ practice squad after TE Jordan Franks broke his hand in practice.

The Kansas City Chiefs have made some moves on the practice ahead of Week 12 involving the tight end position, bringing back a familiar face.

According to Andy Reid, the team has re-signed former Rams TE Kendall Blanton to the practice squad. This move comes after TE Jordan Franks was placed on the practice squad injured list.

“We brought (Kendall) Blanton back to the practice squad,” Reid said. “We put Jordan Franks on the practice squad injured list. He’s got a broken hand. It happened in practice.”

Blanton, a Kansas City native whose father played for the Chiefs, is a player that Brett Veach had an eye on at a few different junctures this season. When the Rams first waived him ahead of the season, the Chiefs attempted to claim him on waivers. He ended up with the Washington Commanders, but he was released during roster cuts. The Chiefs then added him to the practice squad, but a suspension to Rams TE Brycen Hopkins saw Los Angeles poach him from the Chiefs’ practice squad in late September.

This was some convenient timing for Kansas City with Franks’ hand injury as Blanton was waived from the L.A. practice squad on Tuesday. He’ll fall into that backup tight end role both on offense and special teams for the three players at the position on the Chiefs’ active roster.

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Rams waive 2020 3rd-rounder Terrell Burgess, TE Kendall Blanton

The Rams surprisingly waived 2020 third-round pick, Terrell Burgess, as well as TE Kendall Blanton

Terrell Burgess was seen as a great pick by the Rams in the 2020 NFL draft when he was selected in the third round. However, in the last two and a half years, he’s done very little on defense.

The Rams clearly didn’t value him much and have now moved on. The team announced on Tuesday that Burgess and tight end Kendall Blanton have been waived from the 53-man roster. Burgess has been active for 30 career games but he’s played just 221 total snaps on defense since 2020, including just 82 this season.

According to Ian Rapoport, the Rams shopped Burgess at the trade deadline but couldn’t trade him.

In two-plus seasons in the NFL, Burgess has 29 tackles and one pass defensed.

Blanton was cut by the Rams this summer but eventually made his way back to the team when they signed him off the Chiefs’ practice squad. He helped fill in for Tyler Higbee during the playoff run last season and played four games this season, catching two passes.

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Takk McKinley could make Rams debut Sunday, Kendall Blanton also expected to play

Sean McVay said Takk McKinley could play as early as this Sunday. Kendall Blanton is expected to be active against the Cardinals, too.

There are a whole lot of new (and familiar) faces in the Rams’ building this week after the long list of roster moves the team made. That group includes Takk McKinley, Malcolm Brown and Kendall Blanton.

McKinley and Blanton were signed to the active roster from other practice squads, and the expectation is that both could play on Sunday against the Cardinals.

“He could play,” Sean McVay said of McKinley. “It’s a good thing to be able to get Takk in here. Obviously, Raheem has a familiarity with him.”

It sounds even more likely that Blanton will be active, especially in wake of Brycen Hopkins’ suspension. Blanton is the only other tight end on the active roster besides Tyler Higbee.

“He will. That’s the plan right now,” McVay said of whether Blanton will be active. “A guy that knows the system, that’s played at a high level throughout the playoffs. Similar to Malcolm, being able to get somebody back in here with just some of the situations and scenarios that have come up, we felt that was the best thing and so it’s good to have Kendall back in here.”

McKinley could be the Rams’ fourth edge rusher behind Leonard Floyd, Terrell Lewis and Justin Hollins. The team waived Keir Thomas, who was previously the No. 4 option, so McKinley could naturally fill that role.

And Blanton would be the No. 2 tight end, though Liam Coen said Thursday that Roger Carter Jr. is expected to be elevated to the game day roster from the practice squad.

“Get Roger Carter up and do some things,” he said. “Trying to get him a little bit of access this week to practice and understand the game plan.”

The Rams are very shorthanded, with Cobie Durant and David Long Jr. ruled out, but they’ll be ready for Arizona on Sunday.

Rams to sign Chiefs practice squad TE Kendall Blanton to active roster

It was a short homecoming for #Chiefs practice squad TE Kendall Blanton, who has now been signed to the #Rams’ 53-man roster.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Rams have each poached a player from the other team’s practice squad this week.

On Wednesday, the Chiefs signed Rams DE Benton Whitley to their 53-man roster from the L.A. practice squad. On Thursday, Los Angeles made their move. According to Priority Sports’ Kenny Zuckerman, the Rams have signed their client, TE Kendall Blanton, from K.C.’s practice squad.

Blanton, a Kansas City native whose father played with the Chiefs, was signed by the Rams in 2019 as an undrafted free agent. He spent the past three seasons in Los Angeles and won Super Bowl LVI with the team.

Kansas City attempted to claim Blanton when L.A. released him from the offseason roster. He ended up with the Washington Commanders, but he was released in final roster cuts. He chose to sign with the Chiefs’ practice squad, but unfortunately, it appears the homecoming didn’t last.

Blanton will need to remain on the Rams’ 53-man roster for three weeks after being signed from the Kansas City practice squad per NFL rules. Rams TE Brycen Hopkins was just suspended for three games, so it’s possible that this is a short-term decision for Los Angeles and that Blanton could return later this season.

The Chiefs now have an open spot on the practice squad that they’ll need to fill. Keep an eye on TE Matt Bushman, who was with Kansas City in the preseason, but fractured his clavicle. He was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement. If he’s closer to a return, they could look to sign him to the practice squad.

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Rams bring back Kendall Blanton, sign him off Chiefs’ practice squad

The Rams have reunited with Kendall Blanton, signing him off the Chiefs’ practice squad

Kendall Blanton is back with the Los Angeles Rams.

His agent announced on Twitter that the Rams have signed Blanton off the Chiefs’ practice squad, reuniting with the tight end in wake of recent news that Brycen Hopkins has been suspended for three games.

The Rams waived Blanton after their second preseason game, a shocking move that ultimately resulted in them keeping just two tight ends on the 53-man roster. Blanton was claimed by the Commanders but was waived again, eventually landing on the Chiefs’ practice squad.

Because the Rams signed him from the Chiefs, they’re required to keep him on the active roster for at least three weeks. That shouldn’t be a problem now that Hopkins won’t be taking up a roster spot. Blanton will back up Tyler Higbee as the No. 2 tight end.

During the playoffs last year, Blanton caught seven passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, helping the Rams beat the Buccaneers in the divisional round.

On Wednesday, the Chiefs signed Benton Whitley off the Rams’ practice squad, so Los Angeles is returning the favor by poaching one of KC’s players.

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Rams’ 4 most surprising roster cuts

The Rams made their final roster cuts to reduce their roster to 53 players and a few of them were a bit surprising.

Teams around the NFL made hundreds of moves to trim their rosters to 53 players ahead of Week 1 of the 2022 campaign. Every single year, there are always a decent number of surprising releases that take place, and the Los Angeles Rams had a few of their own.

Of course, there’s a chance that the players listed below re-sign with the Rams via the team’s practice squad. Players that are released must clear waivers for them to sign on the practice squad, so other teams have a chance to claim them before they become free agents.

Following the flurry of roster moves that occurred across the NFL, let’s take a look at the most surprising roster cuts the Rams made to reduce their active roster to 53 players.

Why Kendall Blanton’s release is a good sign for Lance McCutcheon and Jacob Harris

Kendall Blanton’s surprising release could be taken as a good sign for Lance McCutcheon and Jacob Harris

Kendall Blanton is by no means a household name. He’s not even a starter in the NFL. But his release over the weekend was a complete surprise to Rams fans everywhere.

He was the Rams’ backup tight end last year, filling in when Tyler Higbee missed time either due to COVID or injury. He was expected to remain either the second or third tight end this year, which is an important spot given Higbee’s injury history.

But the Rams cut ties with him not at the final stage of roster trimming, but merely when they went down from 85 to 80 players on Saturday. That’s disappointing news for Blanton, but it’s a good sign for two other players: Lance McCutcheon and Jacob Harris.

McCutcheon and Harris are two of the Rams’ biggest receivers. They’re by no means locks to make the roster, but their size gives them a great chance to earn a spot on the 53-man squad – especially now that Blanton is gone.

For Harris, he’s a WR-turned-TE-turned-WR. He played wideout in college but converted to tight end briefly last year before going back to wide receiver this season. He needs to improve as a blocker, but at 6-foot-5, he has the frame to seal off defenders.

Harris showed that with a big block against the Texans on Friday night.

That’s not a 5-foot-10 cornerback he laid out. It’s a 6-foot-4 defensive end.

With Harris’ position flexibility, the Rams can line him up at tight end if needed. It won’t be perfect, but that versatility is important and was probably a factor in the decision to cut a tight end like Blanton.

Sean McVay even said the Rams have players who can essentially take on the role of a tight end, mentioning Cooper Kupp and even backup offensive linemen. It’s more about the responsibilities than it is the player, at least for the backups.

McCutcheon isn’t as big as Harris, but at 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, he’s capable of blocking defenders in the running game. He won’t replace Blanton, of course, but with one fewer tight end on the roster, there’s one more spot for a wide receiver to be kept.

Kupp, Allen Robinson, Van Jefferson, Tutu Atwell, Ben Skowronek and Brandon Powell are all almost guaranteed to make the team. Harris should, too. That means the Rams will probably carry at least seven receivers – eight if McCutcheon makes the cut. Now, the Rams could conceivably keep just two tight ends with Higbee and Brycen Hopkins, knowing how infrequently they utilize two-tight end sets anyway.

It’s unlikely McCutcheon will slip through waivers if he gets cut before Week 1. That means the Rams may not be able to keep him on the practice squad. That should certainly influence their decision when weighing who to cut next week.

Though Harris and McCutcheon play a different position than Blanton, one more roster spot that wasn’t expected to be available is now open. That’s good news for both of them.

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Chiefs put in waiver claim on former Rams TE Kendall Blanton

The #Chiefs almost acquired the Blue Springs South grad and legacy player on waivers.

The Kansas City Chiefs put in a waiver claim on a tight end who would have been a legacy player on the team.

As first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, the Chiefs placed a waiver claim on former Los Angeles Rams TE Kendall Blanton. The Washington Commanders ultimately put in the successful claim to acquire Blanton on waivers.

The 26-year-old originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent. It was a good decision as he won Super Bowl LVI with Los Angeles, making the start in the game in place of injured TE Tyler Higbee.

Blanton is a Kansas City native and Blue Springs South graduate. He also attended the University of Missouri. His father, Jerry Blanton, played his entire NFL career with the Chiefs, appearing in over 90 games with the team from 1979 through 1985.

Chiefs Wire spoke with Blanton at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine about his father, his K.C. roots and his path to the NFL. He told us what it would mean to him should he land in Kansas City via the 2019 NFL draft.

“I went to Mizzou and all of that,” Blanton told Chiefs Wire. “If I got to stay home that’d be great. The Chiefs got one of the best fanbases in the league. That’d be fun.”

If it doesn’t work out in Washington, perhaps Blanton will get his chance to play in front of Chiefs Kingdom. The team is currently short on tight end depth with injuries to Blake Bell and Matt Bushman, which made Blanton the perfect option for the team.

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Commanders activate tight end Logan Thomas from PUP list

Logan Thomas is back for the Commanders.

The Washington Commanders received some good news on Monday morning when starting tight end Logan Thomas was activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list.

Thomas suffered a torn ACL in a December win over the Las Vegas Raiders on a questionable hit by defensive end Yannick Ngakoue. He began training camp on the PUP list.

Thomas’ return is a boost for multiple reasons. First, he’s Washington’s top tight end and terrific in the red zone. Secondly, Thomas can get in some practice time with quarterback Carson Wentz, and finally, the Commanders have a near crisis at tight end with numerous injuries.

John Bates has missed most of training camp with a calf injury, while rookie Cole Turner was sidelined over the past two weeks with a hamstring injury. Sammis Reyes was placed on injured reserve last week.

Undrafted rookies Armani Rogers and Curtis Hodges have recently received the bulk of work at tight end. The Commanders signed Eli Wolf last week, and he played 40 snaps in the preseason loss to the Chiefs.

In a flurry of moves after activating Thomas, Washington placed Wolf on IR, released fullback Alex Armah from IR, claimed tight end Kendall Blanton off waivers from the Los Angeles Rams and signed tight end Jake Hausmann.

The Commanders also placed defensive end Bunmi Rotimi on IR.

Hausmann went undrafted in the 2021 NFL draft and has spent time on the rosters of the New York Giants, Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks.

Every NFL team has until 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday to trim their rosters to 80 players.

Thomas had two stints on IR last season. In between those stints, he caught 18 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns in six games.

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