Blanton tries to make Bills roster
Nicholas Newcomb
@nick_newcomb
What do you get when you mix an eclectic and veteran group of coaches together?
The answer: a destination free agents want to play in.
For former free agent safety Robert Blanton, it was that mix of charismatic coaches that ultimately drove him to choose Buffalo as his home for the 2016-17 season.
"I thought it was a great opportunity with great coaches," Blanton said. "You get to learn from a bevy of great coaches: Tim McDonald, Ed Reed, D.T. (Dennis Thurman), Rob Ryan, Rex Ryan. You can't get a better group of guys to learn from."
Blanton, 26, played the first four years of his professional football career with the Minnesota Vikings, who drafted him in the fifth round of the 2012 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame.
While with the Vikings, Blanton served mostly as a member of the team's special teams unit and recorded 213 combined tackles and one interception.
The Bills added very little to their salary cap signing Blanton. His contract for one year is $840,000 and includes the veteran minimum benefit, allowing the team not to have to count the full amount toward the cap for the upcoming season.
And the team is getting the most for its money with Blanton.
In the Bills' preseason game against the New York Giants, Blanton picked off quarterback Logan Thomas late in the fourth quarter to help secure the 21-0 win at home.
"It was great for the team," Blanton said. "We got a shutout. It was a good way to finish the game off."
With starting safety Aaron Williams coming off neck surgery in the off-season and his recent concussion suffered in training camp after colliding with Dezmin Lewis, there is no guarantee for starting spots at safety.
"I prepare every day to be the starter," Blanton said.
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