Colts working out kicker to put pressure on Rodrigo Blankenship?

Not many teams in the NFL last season could say that their offense, defense and special teams units were equally important to the success they enjoyed, but the Indianapolis Colts undoubtedly fell under that category.

For as much as the Colts offense struggled in the big play department, it was incredibly methodical and exhausted opposing defenses. Their defense, though it cooled down after a scalding hot start to the year, was the walking definition of suffocating.

As for Indianapolis’ special teams group, well, it felt like every other week they came up with a huge play that changed the complexion of a game.

Whether it was a blocked kick or a big return, the unit had no shortage of defining moments.

If there was one pitfall of the Colts’ offense in 2020, however, it was the lack of range from kicker Rodrigo Blankenship. Accurate? Sure. Deep threat? Not quite.

While the former undrafted rookie did nothing to warrant losing his job, it appears Indy is prepared to put some pressure on him to produce as a sophomore.

Per ESPN insider Adam Schefter, the Colts are bringing in former Bears kicker Eddy Pineiro for a workout on Tuesday.

What does the Colts’working out a kicker mean for Rodrigo Blankenship?

Well, that’s certainly not the post-draft news we were expecting to hear.

It’s worth noting that the Colts only have Blankenship on the roster at the kicker position, so maybe Pineiro is being worked out to bring out some competition during the offseason. After all, it’s easy to get complacent when there’s nobody threatening your job security.

However, it’s also possible Indianapolis isn’t as sold on Blankenship as we were led to believe last season. Though the 24-year-old was extremely efficient and was in contention to lead the league in total points for most of the year, his struggles from distance were worrisome.

For the season, Blankenship drilled 85.2% of his field goal attempts and converted an impressive 95.6% of his extra point tries. With that being said, the former Georgia star was just 1-of-3 from beyond 50 yards and there were numerous instances where the Colts opted to punt instead of trying a long field goal to avoid giving their opponent good field position if he missed.

As for Pineiro, he was the Bears’ top kicker in 2019 and was slated to win the job again last season before he spent the entirety of the year on injured reserve with a lingering groin injury that actually cropped up during training camp.

While Pineiro went 2-for-2 beyond the 50-yard threshold two years ago, he struggled mightily in between 40 and 49 yards, where he went a lousy 3-for-7 (42.8%), so it’s not like he inspires much confidence as a kicker who can spot up from anywhere inside the opponent’s 35-yard line.

Maybe the workout doesn’t end up in a deal, but this is definitely a storyline to monitor over the next 24 hours or so.

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