INDIANAPOLIS — Rodrigo Blankenship is back in a place that feels all too familiar, the ground far from firm under his feet.
Blankenship has something to prove, even though the Colts did not bring back Michael Badgley, the veteran kicker who took over the job after Blankenship suffered a hip injury against Baltimore and never gave it back.
Badgley, who stumbled down the stretch, remains a free agent.
But Blankenship’s new competition is Jake Verity, a kicker with a cannon for a leg who spent his entire rookie season as Justin Tucker’s understudy in Baltimore, a role that has produced several NFL starters, most notably New Orleans Pro Bowler Wil Lutz.