Blasingame a Throwback for New Team

The Chicago Bears add a fullback to their offense for the first time in four seasons with the signing of Derrick Henry's former lead blocker.

George Walker IV / Tennessean.com via Imagn Content Services, LLC

There were times last season when the Tennessee Titans couldn’t – or didn’t have to – choose between two fullbacks. That, at a time when some teams don’t even use the position.

Tory Carter, an undrafted rookie in 2021, appeared in eight games before he finished the season on injured reserve. Khari Blasingame played in 11. There were three contests in which both were in uniform.

Franchise officials settled on Carter for the coming season and opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Blasingame, who landed on his feet this week when the Chicago Bears signed him to a one-year contract.

Blasingame is the second member of last season’s Titans’ backfield to wind up with the Bears. Earlier this month, Chicago claimed running back Darrynton Evans off waivers.

More importantly, he is the first true fullback that franchise has had since 2018. Blasingame’s addition signals a shift in philosophy under first-year head coach Matt Eberflus, who spent the last four years as the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator.

"The fullback position in the league, everybody thinks it's a dying breed," Blasingame told the Bears’ website. "But there's a lot of guys who are in the league doing a lot of good things for the teams that still use them.

“… I definitely take pride in it, but I don't really see any work as dirty work. Work is work. It's a blessing to be in this league.”

The Titans signed Blasingame off the Minnesota Vikings’ practice squad on Nov. 13, 2019. In 32 games since, he caught 10 passes for 97 yards, carried three times for six yards and was a factor in Derrick Henry’s back-to-back rushing titles (2019, 2020).

At 6-foot, 233 pounds, he is not an imposing physical presence but still capably fulfilled a role that has been de-emphasized in recent years.

“(The Bears) are getting a very smart player,” Blasingame said. “They're getting a very physical player, and just a player who loves football, a player that's going to do the best that he can to help the team win."

Including some things no one has done in Chicago for the past several seasons.