Ex-Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship using UFL bomb field goals to make NFL return case

Billy Heyen

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Ex-Colts kicker Rodrigo Blankenship using UFL bomb field goals to make NFL return case image

Everyone remembers Rodrigo Blankenship's glasses.

The rec specs were the most memorable part of the former Georgia and Indianapolis Colts kicker.

But what's easily forgotten is that this was a dude who could kick pretty well, too.

He's trying to work his way back to the NFL by playing this spring for the UFL's St. Louis Battlehawks.

So far, so good for Blankenship.

He has made his first 10 field goals of the season.

That includes three from well beyond 50 yards: 56, 55 and 53.

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Blankenship hasn't played in the NFL since 2022, which he split between the Colts and Cardinals after spending his first two full seasons with Indianapolis.

Blankenship was 47-for-56 in his NFL career on field goals and 54-for-58 on extra points.

It appears that he's leveled up after a couple seasons away. Blankenship was only 2-for-5 from 50-plus in his NFL career.

He was always accurate from close distance, so added leg strength could be exactly what brings Blankenship back to the NFL ranks.

Most positions in the UFL are likely tough for NFL teams to scout, because the overall competition level is just a bit lower.

Kicker isn't one of those, though. If Blankenship keeps kicking like this, he and his glasses will definitely get another chance in an NFL uniform.

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle