The Chiefs released Blanton on Tuesday.
Blanton spent time on Kansas City's practice squad down the stretch of last season after parting ways with the Rams in November. The 27-year-old never appeared in a game for the Chiefs in 2022, and he couldn't manage to carve out a role during his first preseason with the team. Blanton appeared in 15 games with the Rams from 2021 to 2022, catching six of nine targets for 72 yards.
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Chiefs' Kendall Blanton: Inks new deal
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Blanton signed a reserve/future contract with the Chiefs on Wednesday, Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston reports.
Blanton spent time on Kansas City's practice squad during the 2022 season after being cut by the Rams. With Los Angeles, he suited up for four games and secured both of his targets for 35 yards. He will spend the offseason competing to secure a role with the Chiefs.
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Kendall Blanton: Latches on with KC
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The Chiefs signed Blanton to their practice squad Wednesday.
Blanton was cut by the Rams on Tuesday, but it didn't take long for him to find a home with a new organization. The fourth-year tight end played in four contests with Los Angeles prior to being let go, catching both of his targets for 35 yards. Kansas City currently has three healthy tight ends, so it would likely take an injury or two for Blanton to have any sort of significant role on the active roster.
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Kendall Blanton: Let go Tuesday
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Blanton was cut from the Rams' practice squad Tuesday.
Blanton has bounced around this season after being waived by the Rams during training camp. However, the 27-year-old ultimately ended up back with the team when he was signed off the Chiefs' practice squad Sept. 22. He'll now work to find a new opportunity elsewhere if the Rams don't come calling again.
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Kendall Blanton: Re-signs with practice squad
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The Rams signed Blanton to the practice squad Thursday.
Blanton started the season on Kansas City's practice squad before signing with the Rams' active roster in late September. The 27-year-old then played 25 offensive snaps from Weeks 3 through 6, catching two passes (on two targets) for 35 yards, but he was then waived Tuesday after fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins returned from a suspension. Blanton should serve as a potential game-day elevation if Hopkins and/or Tyler Higbee are forced to miss time with injury at any point this season.
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Kendall Blanton: Heading to waivers
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The Rams waived Blanton on Tuesday.
Blanton signed with the Rams back in late September, while fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins served a three-game suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. However, Hopkins' suspension was lifted Monday, and Los Angeles has since parted ways with the 262-pounder after he played just 25 offensive snaps across the team's last four games. Blanton will now hope to earn another opportunity for playing time elsewhere.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Light usage in loss
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Blanton brought in his only target for seven yards in Monday's 24-9 loss to the 49ers.
Blanton's usage crept up slightly in his second week while he worked in place of Brycen Hopkins (suspension). He took the field for eight offensive snaps and caught his lone target. Tyler Higbee saw a whopping 14 targets and was on the field for 69 offensive snaps, leaving Blanton's usage at a minimum, a trend that will likely continue with just one more week before Hopkins returns.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Signs with Rams
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Blanton was signed off of the Chiefs' practice squad by the Rams on Thursday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic.
Blanton was waived by the Rams on Aug. 20, then found his way onto Kansas City's practice squad after a short stint with the Commanders. The addition of the 26-year-old comes a day after the news that fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins would be serving a three-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. Blanton should be able to slide right into the team's offense after having been with the franchise recently, including appearing in 11 games last season. He'll likely operate as the team's No. 2 tight end Sunday in a divisional matchup with the Cardinals.
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Kendall Blanton: Joins Kansas City's practice squad
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The Chiefs signed Blanton to their practice squad Thursday, Matt Derrick of ChiefsDigest.com reports.
Blanton was waived by the Commanders ahead of Tuesday's 53-man roster deadline but has found a new home in Kansas City via the practice squad. The 26-year-old tight end appeared in 11 games for the Rams last year and caught four of seven targets for 37 yards across 144 offensive snaps.
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Commanders' Kendall Blanton: Claimed by Commanders
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Blanton was claimed off waivers by the Commanders on Sunday, Ben Standig of The Athletic reports.
Blanton's departure from the Rams was a bit of a surprise, as he was initially expected to be the No. 2 tight end for the Rams this season. However, the 26-year-old will find new opportunity in Washington, where he'll likely be competing for the same No. 2 role behind Logan Thomas (knee).
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Still in backup mix
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Following the recent NFL Draft, Blanton and Brycen Hopkins continue to follow Tyler Higbee on the Rams' tight end depth chart, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Meanwhile, 2021 fourth-rounder Jacob Harris is bouncing back from a knee injury, but at this stage Blanton -- who is presumably past a shoulder issue that slowed him in Super Bowl LVI -- and Hopkins remain next up for tight end targets in the event that Higbee misses time this season.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Set to fill in for Higbee
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With Tyler Higbee (knee) having been placed on IR by the Rams, Blanton is in line to lead the team's tight end corps in Sunday's Super Bowl against the Bengals, Brady Henderson of ESPN reports.
Higbee was forced out of the NFC Championship Game versus the 49ers on Jan. 30 after playing just 14 snaps, and as was the case in that contest, Blanton will be counted on to step in as the Rams' top tight end this Sunday. In relief of Higbee in the team's win over San Francisco, Blanton logged 61 snaps en route to catching all five of his targets for 57 yards. While Blanton is poised for a starting assignment, and, in turn, his share of targets this weekend, Brycen Hopkins is available to back him up, with Kyle Markway currently a member of Los Angeles' practice squad.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Steps up in key moment
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Blanton brought in all five targets for 57 yards during the Rams' 20-17 win over the 49ers in their NFC Championship Game matchup Sunday.
Tyler Higbee exited the game for good due to a knee injury in the first half, thrusting Blanton into the top role at tight end just a week after scoring his first career touchdown. Blanton performed admirably, making some key grabs and ultimately checking in third on the team in receptions, receiving yards and targets behind Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham. If Higbee's injury is serious enough to keep him out of the Super Bowl LVI matchup versus the Bengals, Blanton, despite having just 11 career catches to his name, presumably will log starting duty in the contest.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Not targeted in win
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Blanton failed to see a single target in Sunday's 30-23 win over the Vikings.
Blanton reverted back to his role as the Rams' No. 2 tight end with starter Tyler Higbee activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list ahead of Week 16. The 26-year-old played on just eight of the team's 70 offensive snaps. With Higbee and the Rams' pass catchers healthy, Blanton will likely continue to be a non-factor on offense.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Quiet in second start
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Blanton started at tight end and played 43 of 66 offensive snaps but failed to secure his only target during Tuesday's 20-10 win over Seattle.
Blanton started for the second week in a row while Tyler Higbee had two separate stints on the reserve/COVID-19 list. When Higbee returns, Blanton's already minuscule fantasy value will take a notable hit. He hauled in two of four targets for 29 yards across his two turns as a starter.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Receives first career start
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Blanton caught two of his three targets for 29 yards during Monday's 30-23 win over the Cardinals.
With Tyler Higbee being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list before the game, Blanton started and played 52 of 58 offensive snaps Monday. Obviously, Blanton's final stat line didn't make a notable fantasy impact, but it's likely he would again see a huge boost in playing time if Higbee were to miss another game. Fellow tight end Brycen Hopkins played 20 offensive snaps Monday, but he wasn't targeted in the passing game.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Should help replace Higbee
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Blanton is expected to start at tight end in Monday's game against the Cardinals after the Rams placed Tyler Higbee on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Blanton, an undrafted rookie out of Missouri, was added to the Rams' roster Week 7 and has played just 37 offensive snaps on the season, drawing three targets. The 6-foot-6, 262-pound Blanton has served mainly as a blocker during his time on the field, so he likely won't be tasked with matching Higbee's output as a pass catcher, even though he's the frontrunner to absorb most of the snaps at tight end. Behind Blanton on the depth chart are 2020 fourth-round draft pick Brycen Hopkins and practice squad call-up Jared Pinkney, who profile as better receiving threats than Blanton but have played just 16 offensive snaps between them during their NFL careers.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Catches first career pass
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Blanton caught a two-yard pass during Monday's 31-10 loss to San Francisco.
The reception came when the Rams faked a field-goal attempt that was snuffed out immediately by the 49ers at the end of the first half, so you don't need to read into it much. Additionally, Blanton only played two of 55 offensive snaps during the game. He's off the fantasy radar at this point of the season.
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Kendall Blanton: Reverts to practice squad
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Blanton reverted to Los Angeles' practice squad Monday, per the NFL's official transaction log.
Blanton was active for the first time this season for Sunday's win over the Lions. The tight end logged just two offensive snaps and six snaps on special teams. Blanton will now rejoin the practice squad and await another opportunity to be elevated to the active roster.
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Rams' Kendall Blanton: Elevated to active roster
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Blanton was elevated to the Rams' active roster off the practice squad Saturday, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic reports.
Blanton will be active for the first time this season and for the first time since 2019. He will likely operate primarily on special teams with Johnny Mundt (knee) on injured reserve.
