The Steelers waived Blake on Tuesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Blake was let go by the Cardinals at the beginning of August and eventually latched on with Pittsburgh. However, he once again finds himself as a free agent. The undrafted wideout out of Northern Illinois spent his first three seasons in the NFL with Arizona, but he registered a career-low four receptions for 25 yards across 102 offensive snaps over 16 games last season.
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Steelers' Christian Blake: Joining up with Pittsburgh
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Blake signed a contract with the Steelers on Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
The 26-year-old will head to Pittsburgh after the team also waived wide receiver Javon McKinley (undisclosed) with an injury designation Thursday. Blake spent the first three seasons of his career in a backup and special-teams role with Atlanta, and he registered a career-low four receptions for 25 yards across 102 offensive snaps over 16 games last season. The 2018 undrafted free agent likely will compete with Anthony Miller, Cody White and Gunner Olszewski for a spot on the Steelers' final 53-man roster.
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Christian Blake: Cut by Cardinals
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Blake was waived by Arizona on Tuesday, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN reports.
After signing a contract with the Cardinals in May, Blake was let go by the team following Marquise Brown's return from the non-football injury list as well as the recent acquisition of offensive lineman Rashaad Coward. Blake spent his first three NFL seasons in Atlanta, where he totaled 28 receptions and 257 yards across 41 games. The fourth-year pro now will wait for another opportunity ahead of the upcoming season.
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Cardinals' Christian Blake: Inks deal in Arizona
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Blake signed a contract with the Cardinals on Monday, Darren Urban of the team's official site reports.
Blake will get a look with the Cardinals after spending the previous three seasons in Atlanta. The Northern Illinois product played in 16 games in each of the last two seasons but only amassed 17 receptions on 28 targets for 166 yards.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Sees one target in loss
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Blake failed to haul in his only target during Sunday's 30-20 loss to the Saints.
Blake finished the 2021 campaign with four receptions for 25 yards across 16 appearances. The 25-year-old wideout is set to become a free agent this offseason, but it's unclear what type of market he will draw.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Held without catch in Week 17
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Blake was unable to haul in his only target during Sunday's 29-15 loss to the Bills.
With Calvin Ridley (personal) still away from the team and Tajae Sharpe (illness) sidelined due to COVID-19 protocols, Blake played 26 of Atlanta's 53 offensive snaps. However, the 25-year-old wideout was held catchless, as Kyle Pitts and Russell Gage once again led the Falcons in targets and receiving yards. Blake's role likely will be diminished if Sharpe returns Week 18, but even if Sharpe misses a third straight game, Blake profiles as little more than a dart-throw lineup option in deeper leagues.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Ends 2020 season with 13 catches
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Blake wasn't targeted across his 11 offensive snaps in Sunday's 44-27 loss to the Buccaneers.
Blake suited up for the Falcons' entire 16-game slate in 2020, but he handled only a bit role in the passing attack, finishing with 13 receptions (on 18 targets) for 141 yards and no touchdowns. The 24-year-old will be an exclusive rights free agent this upcoming offseason, but look for the Falcons to retain him and give him a chance to fight for a depth role at receiver during training camp.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Logs 17-yard reception
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Blake caught his lone target for a 17-yard gain during Sunday's 43-6 win against the Raiders.
With Olamide Zaccheaus going down in the first quarter of Sunday's contest due to a toe injury, Blake was elevated to the No. 3 position in Atlanta's receiving corps. That promotion, of course, was also prompted because of Julio Jones (hamstring) sitting out the game entirely. Matt Ryan looked in Blake's direction on just one occasion Sunday, but the 24-year-old now has an active streak of four consecutive outings with a catch. He fielded a season-high 50 offensive snaps against the Raiders, but he will only approach that level of involvement again Week 13 versus New Orleans if Jones and/or Zaccheaus are unavailable.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Hauls in two passes
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Blake secured two of his four targets for 28 receiving yards during Sunday's 24-9 loss to New Orleans.
With Julio Jones off the field for much of the second and third quarters Sunday while tending to a hamstring issue, Blake posted his second consecutive outing of greater than 25 receiving yards. In eight appearances between Weeks 1 and 8, on 113 combined offensive snaps, Blake mustered just 8.3 receiving yards per contest. Next, Atlanta will host a Las Vegas defense that allowed three different Chiefs receivers to post six-plus catches on Sunday Night Football.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Matches season high in catches
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Blake secured all three of his targets for 31 receiving yards during Sunday's 34-27 win against the Broncos.
Despite Calvin Ridley (foot) being ruled out for the cross-conference showdown, Blake fielded just 12 offensive snaps. His workload was far more extensive against Carolina last Thursday night, as he garnered 38 offensive touches in that contest, though his on-field impact was greater in Week 9. Blake matched his season best of three receptions in a game, while his yardage output against Denver was the 24-year-old's second highest of 2020. With an upcoming Week 10 bye, Ridley has a chance to recover from a mid-foot sprain. If improvement indeed transpires with Ridley's status, Blake will be relegated to the No. 5 slot in Atlanta's receiving corps for a Nov. 22 matchup against the Saints.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Could get Week 9 start
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Blake could replace Calvin Ridley (foot) if the receiver -- who is listed as questionable for Sunday's game against the Broncos -- sits out, Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
With Ridley out for the second half of last week's game, Blake finished with season-high 54 percent snap share but logged only two catches for 14 yards. The Falcons seem to have direct backups for each of their top-three wideouts, with Blake filling in for Ridley, Olamide Zaccheaus replacing Julio Jones, and Brandon Powell behind Russell Gage. It's still possible a Ridley absence could free up more work for Zaccheaus and/or Powell, but Blake is the safe bet to get regular snaps, while Jones, Gage and tight end Hayden Hurst could help fill the target void.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Two catches post-Ridley injury
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Blake reeled in both of his targets for 14 receiving yards during Thursday's 25-17 win against the Panthers.
Calvin Ridley suffered a foot injury in the early going of the second quarter Thursday, opening the door for Blake to double his previous season high of 19 offensive snaps. Per Jason Butt of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Blake would be the most immediate replacement for Ridley if the third-year wideout were to miss any time. It seems Ridley may get right back for a Week 9 matchup against the Broncos, as he is considered day-to-day after receiving his MRI results Friday. A return for Ridley would likely mitigate any viable fantasy potential for Blake, though he would be a risky play regardless with only one performance of greater than 45 receiving yards this season.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Starting for Julio Jones
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Blake is slated to serve as one of the Falcons' three starting receivers Sunday against the Bears with Julio Jones (hamstring) inactive for the contest, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
Blake has played 16 total offensive snaps through the Falcons' first two games, drawing zero targets. He should see a big spike in playing time Week 3 with Jones in street clothes, but Blake probably shouldn't be counted on to see much volume headed his way. Instead, Matt Ryan will likely funnel most of Jones' vacated targets to wideouts Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage, tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Todd Gurley.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Involved over second half of 2019
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Blake caught 11 of 24 targets for 91 receiving yards across nine appearances for the Falcons this season.
The 23-year-old wideout made his first regular-season appearance Week 8 against the Seahawks, but he did not garner more than 20 percent of the offensive snaps until Week 12. From that point forward Blake fielded at least 44 percent of the offensive snaps in five of the Falcons' six remaining games, and he broke out for six catches and 57 yards on Thanksgiving against New Orleans. The Oct. 22 trade of Mohamed Sanu to New England, and a subsequent injury to Calvin Ridley (abdominal), opened up opportunity for Blake as the season wore on, but he's likely to remain a depth option during 2020 as he enters the final year of his contract.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Catchless in win
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Blake was unable to bring in his only target of Sunday's 29-22 win over the 49ers.
Blake saw a whopping 18 total targets in Weeks 12 and 13, but has just one target in his last two games despite the absence of Calvin Ridley (abdomen). Though the Falcons are showing some life down the stretch, plugging the rookie into fantasy lineups does not seem to be worth the risk. Next up is a Sunday matchup against a middle-of-the-road Jaguars pass defense.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: To see more snaps with Ridley out
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Coach Dan Quinn said Monday that Blake and Olamide Zaccheaus will be tasked with replacing Calvin Ridley (abdomen) over the remainder of the season, Jason Butt of The Athletic reports.
If there's a silver lining other than the fact that Ridley projects to be at full strength by the start of 2020, it's that Atlanta gets a look at some of its more inexperienced prospects, one or multiple of which may turn into contributors for a revamped Falcons team down the road. Though Blake played only 12 offensive snaps in the Week 14 win over Carolina, he flashed during the Thanksgiving Day loss to New Orleans by logging six catches for 57 yards in his first career start while filling in for an injured Julio Jones. He's expected to see a steady increase in involvement Week 15, when the Falcons take on a 49ers defense that prior to Sunday's performance against the Saints had allowed just one team (Cincinnati in Week 2) to exceed 245 passing yards in a game all season.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Targeted nine times in Week 12 loss
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Blake caught two of nine targets for 16 yards during Sunday's 35-22 loss to the Buccaneers.
While his final output doesn't exactly set off the waiver wire alarm, it's notable that the 23-year-old wideout tied Julio Jones (shoulder) as Matt Ryan's third-busiest option -- though four of Blake's targets came on a garbage-time fourth-quarter drive with the team trailing by three scores. With Austin Hooper (knee) potentially sitting out a third consecutive contest this week and Justin Hardy going without a target against the Bucs, Blake is expected to work in as a secondary option in the Atlanta passing attack during a Thanksgiving night matchup against New Orleans' 14th-ranked pass defense.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Tallies first catch of NFL career
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Blake caught both of his targets for 15 receiving yards during Sunday's 26-9 win against the Saints.
The 23-year-old receiver was elevated from the practice squad prior to Atlanta's Week 8 matchup against Seattle and played on 14 offensive snaps during his regular-season debut. It wasn't until Blake's second game Sunday against New Orleans that he tallied his first career reception, gaining 11 yards on a 3rd and 10 to help the Falcons collect a field goal late in the second quarter. Blake is expected to remain involved as a peripheral contributor in Week 11 against Carolina's top-12 pass defense, slotting in behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Russell Gage and Justin Hardy on the wide receiver depth chart.
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Falcons' Christian Blake: Elevating from practice squad
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Blake is moving up to the Falcons' 53-man roster, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports.
This September, Blake was designated for a practice squad spot for a second consecutive year after putting up 10 catches and ranking fifth on the team in receiving (82 yards) during the preseason slate. The trade of Mohamed Sanu on Tuesday morning opened up a slot at wide receiver, where Blake will get snaps as a reserve option behind Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Justin Hardy and Russell Gage. In addition to occasional offensive opportunities, the 23-year-old Blake is also expected to play a role on special teams over the second half of the year.
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Christian Blake: Lands on Falcons' practice squad
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Blake has been placed on Atlanta's practice squad for the start of the 2019 regular season, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports.
The 23-year-old Blake stood out during preseason play, but was not quite dominant enough to break into the 53-man roster at a crowded position group for Atlanta. He collected a team-high five catches and 46 receiving yards in the Hall of Fame Game against Denver, and in the exhibition finale against Jacksonville made an acrobatic 12-yard touchdown reception on his only target. Thus far the lone wide receiver to be assigned to the practice squad, Blake showed enough upside this August to merit consideration for a future role on the active roster.
