Kendall Blanton (born November 10, 1995) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

who is a free agent. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

. Blanton signed with the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2019 and started in their

Super Bowl LVI Super Bowl LVI was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2021 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams defeated the American Football Conference ...

win.

College career

Blanton was a member of the

Missouri Tigers The Missouri Tigers intercollegiate athletics programs represent the University of Missouri, located in Columbia. The name comes from a band of armed Union Home Guards called the Fighting Tigers of Columbia who, in 1864, protected Columbia fro ...

for five seasons, redshirting as a true freshman. He finished his collegiate career with 44 receptions for 476 yards and six touchdowns in 43 games played.

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Blanton signed with the

as an

on April 29, 2019. He was waived on August 31, 2019, during final roster cuts, and was subsequently signed to the team's practice squad one day later. The Rams promoted Blanton to their active roster on December 3, 2019. He made his NFL debut on December 12, 2019, playing four snaps on special teams in a 28-12 win over the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. Blanton was waived at the end of training camp on September 5, 2020. He was re-signed back to the Rams' practice squad on September 6, 2020, where he spent the entirety of the 2020 season. Blanton signed a reserve/futures contract with the Rams on January 19, 2021. He was waived during final roster cuts and again re-signed to the Rams practice squad to start the 2021 season. Blanton was elevated to the active roster on October 24, 2021, for the team's Week 7 game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. He was signed to the active roster on October 30. On January 23, 2022, Blanton scored his first NFL touchdown in the Rams' divisional playoff victory over the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. Blanton got to start in

for the injured

Tyler Higbee Tyler Higbee (born January 1, 1993) is an American football tight end for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Western Kentucky and was drafted by the Rams in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL ...

, but suffered a shoulder injury in the first half before he could record any statistics. Blanton was waived on August 20, 2022.

Washington Commanders

Blanton was claimed off waivers by the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

on August 22, 2022. He was released on August 30.

Kansas City Chiefs

On September 1, 2022, Blanton was signed to the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

practice squad.

Los Angeles Rams (second stint)

On September 22, 2022, Blanton was signed to the

active roster off the Chiefs practice squad. He was waived on November 8, 2022. He was re-signed to the practice squad two days later. His practice squad contract was terminated on November 22.

Kansas City Chiefs (second stint)

On November 23, 2022, Blanton signed with the practice squad of the

. Blanton won his second straight

Super Bowl ring The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...

when the Chiefs defeated the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

Super Bowl LVII Super Bowl LVII is the upcoming championship game of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2022 NFL season. The game is scheduled to be played on February 12, 2023, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. It will be the fourth Super B ...

. He signed a reserve/future contract on February 15, 2023. He was released on August 29, 2023.

Personal life

Blanton is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

. Blanton's father,

Jerry Blanton Gerald Blanton (born December 20, 1956) is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played his entire seven-year career for the Kansas City Chiefs. A native of Toledo, Ohio, Jerry Blanton was a star fullbac ...

, played linebacker for the

for seven seasons.

References

External links

Missouri Tigers bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blanton, Kendall 1995 births Living people American football tight ends Kansas City Chiefs players Los Angeles Rams players Missouri Tigers football players People from Blue Springs, Missouri Players of American football from Missouri Washington Commanders players