Sportsnaut
With all of the roster shuffling that’s about to go on ahead of the regular season, the fullback position is not one that many people pay attention to. Most teams don’t even carry a traditional fullback anymore, so it’s understandable.
However, Patriot fans should definitely pay attention. The team doesn’t have a traditional fullback on the roster, but one player has been playing the position in camp and the preseason, and he may have found his niche.
Jack Westover, at first glance of the depth chart, is just a former undrafted free agent competing for a backup tight end job. However, the Washington product was the team’s starting fullback for the preseason opener and has recently been working with the first-team offense.
Earlier this summer, undrafted free agent Brock Lampe was running as the starting fullback and looked primed to make the final roster. However, the Northern Illinois product suffered an injury and went on injured reserve, meaning he will miss the entire 2025 season.
Instead of signing another fullback, the Patriots instead started utilizing Westover in the role. Westover did play some fullback at Washington and even carried the ball seven times in his college career.
With the return of Josh McDaniels to Foxboro, the fullback position becomes important again. During McDaniels’ first run with the Patriots, he used James Develin and Jakob Johnson in his offense. Now, it appears like this will be Westover’s best shot at making the team.
It will be interesting to see how the team handles the final roster. If Westover is kept as a fullback, that means Jaheim Bell or Gee Scott Jr. could still make the team as the third tight end. However, if Westover is kept as a tight end, it likely means a fourth running back could be kept.
More must-reads:
