The Kansas City Chiefs put in a waiver claim on a tight end who would have been a legacy player on the team.
As first reported by ESPN’s Field Yates, the Chiefs placed a waiver claim on former Los Angeles Rams TE Kendall Blanton. The Washington Commanders ultimately put in the successful claim to acquire Blanton on waivers.
The 26-year-old originally signed with the Rams as an undrafted free agent. It was a good decision as he won Super Bowl LVI with Los Angeles, making the start in the game in place of injured TE Tyler Higbee.
Blanton is a Kansas City native and Blue Springs South graduate. He also attended the University of Missouri. His father, Jerry Blanton, played his entire NFL career with the Chiefs, appearing in over 90 games with the team from 1979 through 1985.
Chiefs Wire spoke with Blanton at the 2019 NFL Scouting Combine about his father, his K.C. roots and his path to the NFL. He told us what it would mean to him should he land in Kansas City via the 2019 NFL draft.
“I went to Mizzou and all of that,” Blanton told Chiefs Wire. “If I got to stay home that’d be great. The Chiefs got one of the best fanbases in the league. That’d be fun.”
If it doesn’t work out in Washington, perhaps Blanton will get his chance to play in front of Chiefs Kingdom. The team is currently short on tight end depth with injuries to Blake Bell and Matt Bushman, which made Blanton the perfect option for the team.
