Battlehawks Re-Sign Rodrigo Blankenship & T.J. Pesefea Jr.

The St. Louis Battlehawks have brought back a couple of key pieces for the 2026 UFL season. They’ve re-signed K Rodrigo Blankenship and DL T.J. Pesefea Jr., sources confirm to Pro Football Newsroom.

DL T.J. Pesefea Jr.

T.J. Pesefea has been a strong rotational piece for the St. Louis Battlehawks defensively the last couple of years. He didn’t see a ton of action in 2024, but flashed potential as he racked up nine tackles, a sack, and three defensive stops on the year.

In 2025, T.J. ended up making a few starts. With injuries to both Austin Faoliu and Isaiah Mack – landing both on IR – Pesefea saw an increased role during the second half of the season. He finished the year with 17 tackles, a sack, and an impressive 11 defensive stops via PFF.

Pesefea played his college ball at Arizona State, where he recorded 76 tackles and 2.5 sacks across his collegiate career. T.J. was signed as an UDFA by the Bengals in 2023, prior to landing in St. Louis. He’s a younger prospect who’s proven his worth to this organization – and it’s no surprise to see Pesefea back in the mix for 2026 Training Camp.

K Rodrigo Blankenship

For the first time in franchise history, the St. Louis Battlehawks *may* have the same kicker for a second consecutive season. From Taylor Russolino, to Donny Hageman, to Andre Szmyt (now in the NFL with the Browns) – the Battlehawks have seen a new face at kicker every single season.

Rodrigo Blankenship was a tremendous offseason pickup by GM Dave Boller for this Battlehawks unit. He’s got quite the resume, having been a starting kicker in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts for a couple of years.

In the UFL, Rodrigo earned All-UFL honors – connecting on 21 of 22 field goal attempts. His long of 56 yards looked easy, showcasing his strong leg, paired with NFL-level accuracy. Blankenship made 47 of his 56 field goal attempts in the NFL (83.3%). It’s surprising that he isn’t with a franchise in that league, to be honest. Rodrigo had a workout with the Jets earlier this summer, but went unsigned. Regardless, the St. Louis Battlehawks have made sure that his talents have not gone to waste – rostering one of the best kickers in this scene for another season.

It’s worth noting that Rodrigo Blankenship is still training for an NFL opportunity. He has even been producing a video series weekly where he recreates the longest kicks from each weekend in the NFL.

Final Thoughts

St. Louis has picked up the pace lately with their movement in the offseason. They’ve brought back a few standouts already (i.e. OG Steven Gonzalez, RB Jarveon Howard) – and also signed exciting new prospects such as WR Aron Cruickshank and DL Pheldarius Payne, to name a couple.

What are your thoughts on Rodrigo Blankenship back with the Battlehawks? Let us know down in the comments below, or join the conversation on Discord!