After making his presence felt in Sunday’s victory over the Raiders, it will be interesting to see how the Titans utilize Khari Blasingame as they enter the homestretch of the 2019 regular season.
The Tennessee Titans may have found a brand new weapon on offense that could play a key role towards them getting into the playoffs. Rookie fullback Khari Blasingame could see an increased role after his performance in the team’s 42-21 victory over the Oakland Raiders this past Sunday.
Blasingame, an undrafted rookie out of nearby Vanderbilt, had two big catches for a total a 47 yards, including a catch over former Titans linebacker and Bussin’ With The Boys co-host Will Compton, which notably got him on Randy Moss’ “You Got Mossed” segment on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown.
He spent the preseason with the Minnesota Vikings but was released in final cuts on August 31st, though he was signed to the practice squad the day after, where he remained apart of the team until the Titans ended up signing him on November 13th during the their bye week, .
With Derrick Henry dealing with a lingering hamstring injury and Dion Lewis being mainly ineffective this season, the Titans could look to give Blasingame some carries moving forward, as he had yet to touch the football at all prior to Sunday, and still has not registered a carry.
At 6’0 and 233 pounds, Blasingame’s style of play is not that much unlike Henry’s. He’s considered more of a power back, but he is deceptively agile, and would be a problem when running the open field, a characteristic he showcased in the third quarter of Sunday’s win.
On a second-and-10 on the second Titans drive of the third quarter, quarterback Ryan Tannehill checked down to Blasingame, and after breaking an initial tackle attempt, he would then pick up additional yardage before being pushed out of bounds. Blasingame gained 23 yards on the play, and that would help lead to an eventual Henry touchdown run, putting the Titans ahead for good.
Blasingame only played 13 snaps on offense, as he was mainly utilized on special teams, participating in 15 of the Titans’ 28 total special teams snaps.
With his two big catches on Sunday mixed with Henry being hurt and Lewis being a non-factor on offense, Blasingame’s role in the offense should increase a bit more in the final three games as the Titans look to secure not only a playoff spot, but their first division title since 2008.