Chase Blackburn enters his third season with the Los Angeles Rams as the special teams coordinator.
In 2024, Blackburn led a special teams unit that included two rookies in K Joshua Karty and WR Jordan Whittington, who were selected to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. The special teams unit recorded four blocked kicks last season, which tied for the most in the NFL. Former OLB Michael Hoecht tallied three blocked kicks, which also led the league and tied Nolan Cromwell (1987) and Pat Thomas (1978) for the most in a season by a Rams player.
Karty converted 29-of-34 field goal attempts and tied Frank Corral for the most made field goals by a rookie kicker in franchise history. His 119 points are also the most points scored by a Rams kicker in their rookie season and the second-most points scored by a rookie in franchise history behind Eric Dickerson's 120. Karty finished the regular season as one of only nine kickers in NFL history to connect on at least 14 consecutive field goals during their rookie campaign and became only the second Rams kicker to accomplish the feat, joining Greg Zuerlein in 2012. He also tied for seventh in percentage of field goals made from 50 or more yards (85.7%) and tied for 12th in field goals made of 50 or more yards (six). Karty was named the NFL Special Teams Player of the Month in December/January after converting all 13 field goal attempts, including three from 50 or more yards.
P Ethan Evans built on a strong rookie campaign and finished the 2024 season ranked first in percentage of punts landing inside the 10-yard line (25.5%), second in percentage of punts landing inside the 20-yard line (54.5%), and tied for second in punts landing inside the five-yard line (six). He also ranked third in punts landing inside the 10-yard line (14) and percentage of punts landing inside the five-yard line (10.9%).
Whittington tallied 453 kickoff return yards, which ranked 13th in the NFL and first among rookies in 2024. It also marked the most by a Rams rookie since 2012.
During the 2023 season , Blackburn led a young special teams unit that featured a rookie punter in Evans and a rookie long snapper in Alex Ward. With Blackburn's guidance, Evans finished the regular season ranked 10th in the NFL in yards per punt (49.2) and 12th for the longest punt (72 yards). Evans earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors after he averaged 52.6 yards per punt on five attempts in a win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 11. It was the first time a Rams punter took home that honor since former P Johnny Hekker won it during the 2020 season.
Additionally, the Rams special teams unit finished ninth in made field goals (32), despite facing multiple kicking changes, and 10th in yards per punt (48.5). The last time the Rams finished in the top 10 in both categories was in the 2018 season.
Blackburn joined the Rams after spending a season with the Tennessee Titans as their assistant special teams coordinator in 2022.
In Tennessee, the Titans special teams unit finished first in yards per punt (53.1), fifth in opponent yards per punt return (10.78), seventh in opponent yards per punt (45.1), and tied for ninth in opponent field goals made (25). Under Blackburn's guidance, the special teams unit also ranked second in opponent average starting field position (24.5).
Before joining the Titans in 2022, Blackburn spent six seasons with the Carolina Panthers, the final four as special teams coordinator. In his final year with the Panthers in 2021, Carolina's special teams unit ranked eighth in opponent yards per punt return (7.4) and field goal percentage (89.7). Despite using three kickers throughout the course of the season, the Carolina kickers converted 26-of-29 field goal attempts. The special teams unit also blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown against the Vikings in Week 6.
During the 2020 season, Blackburn guided rookie P Joseph Charlton to NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after tying a franchise-record with five punts inside the 20-yard line during a game at Washington in Week 16. The special teams unit also set a franchise-record that season for the most punts inside the 20 (46.7%), which ranked third in the NFL.
In 2019, Blackburn helped rookie K Joey Slye set a franchise record after making an NFL-best eight field goals from 50 or more yards. Carolina's punting unit also converted two fake punts for first downs and P Michael Palardy landed 25 punts inside the 20-yard line with only three touchbacks all season.
During his first season as special teams coordinator in 2018, the Panthers ranked sixth in the NFL in field goal percentage. Kickers Graham Gano and Chandler Catanzaro combined to make 19-of-21 field goal attempts, including 5-of-6 from 50 yards or more. Gano's 63-yard game-winning field goal against the Giants tied for the longest game-winning field goal in NFL history and the second-longest all-time.
In 2017, Blackburn coached a Panthers special teams unit that produced a kickoff return touchdown and punt return touchdown in the same season for the first time since 2003. Gano also earned his first Pro Bowl appearance after setting a franchise-record and leading the NFL in field goal percentage (96.7), converting 29-of-30 attempts. In the NFC Wild Card Round against the Saints, Gano set a franchise playoff-record with a 58-yard field goal, which also tied an NFL postseason record.
He made his coaching debut with the Carolina Panthers in 2016 serving as a coaching intern. That season, the Panthers led the NFL and tied a team record with three blocked field goals.
Before beginning his coaching career, Blackburn played in the NFL for 10 seasons including eight with the New York Giants from 2005-12 and two with the Panthers from 2013-14. He entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and appeared in 132 career games (45 starts) and recorded 265 tackles, 4.5 sacks, four interceptions, 10 passes defended and four forced fumbled. He also tallied 123 tackles, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries on special teams. Blackburn became a Super Bowl XLVI champion when the Giants defeated the New England Patriots in 2011. He is one of two current NFL coaches to record an interception in a Super Bowl as a player.
During his collegiate playing days at Akron, Blackburn saw action at linebacker and defensive end. He played in 45 games (34 starts) for the Zips and totaled 293 tackles, 38 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks and three interceptions. Blackburn earned Second-Team All-MAC honors as a junior in 2003 and played in the Gridiron Classic as a senior in 2004.
Blackburn attended Marysville (Ohio) High School and graduated from Akron with a degree in mathematics. He and his wife, Megan, have three sons Landyn, Bentley and Wyatt.
