Indianapolis Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship showed promise during his rookie campaign in 2020 but also had some flaws when it came to deep kicks.
After going 1-of-3 on kicks over 50 yards during his rookie season, it seems Blankenship has been showing off a stronger leg during the offseason, according to Zak Keefer of The Athletic.
Keefer reported that Blankenship is hitting kicks up to 65 yards during his current workouts this offseason.
Told Blankenship is hitting from 64-65 yards most days during his current workouts and kicking off out of the end zone. He'll get some competition from former Bear Eddy Pineiro in training camp. https://t.co/Ag54ttgHsP
— Zak Keefer (@zkeefer) June 15, 2021
No one would blame you if you find that hard to believe. That’s not to say Keefer’s reporting is wrong in the slightest. But Blankenship barely getting enough power on 50-plus-yard kicks during his rookie season now pummeling the ball 65 yards? Something doesn’t really add up.
Unless Blankenship hit the legs hard and added some protein to his diet, which is possible, this may be more of a wait-and-see situation when it comes to judging the improvements Hot Rod has made this offseason.
The Colts brought in 25-year-old Eddy Pineiro via free agency following the draft and while Blankenship has the leg up, head coach Frank Reich did tell the media that there is an open competition at kicker.
If Blankenship did find a way to add some power to his kicks, then it will benefit the Colts immensely. He had a strong rookie season but if he can find a way to fix the biggest flaw in his game, that would be huge for Indy in 2021.
