Hogs Haven
In the first part of this year’s update, we were again reminded that rumors of the fullback’s demise have been greatly exaggerated. Twelve years after their near extinction, fullbacks have come back to claim a vital supporting role in NFL offenses.
Today’s fullbacks are different in a few key respects from those of decades past. In today’s game, fullbacks retain their historical primary responsibility as run blockers. But their secondary responsibilities have shifted from running to receiving.
While only around 15 NFL teams current reserve a roster spot for a fullback, many more use tight ends and, in some cases defensive players to incorporate the fullback role into their offenses.
The arrival of a new coaching staff in Washington last season sparked initial excitement that Commanders fans might see the fullback return to prominence in the team’s new look offense. The fullback hype train gained even more steam when Adam Peters drafted TE Ben Sinnott in the second round and made comparisons to 49ers’ fullback Kyle Juszczyk.
Kingsbury favors heavy use of inside-zone rushing plays, which provide a perfect fit for a lead-blocking fullback. He was joined in Washington by run game coordinator, Anthony Lynn, who has a strong history of fullback utilization in his offenses. Head Coach Dan Quinn has also utilized fullbacks in his offenses.
But questions remained about what precise role this versatile chess-piece might play in Kingsbury’s offense. Would he utilize a fullback as an offensive weapon, like Juszczyk is used in San Francisco? Or would the fullback role be limited to blocking to support a zone rushing attack? Would Kingsbury use a designated fullback in his offense, as he did in his first three seasons in Arizona, or fill the role with a tight end, as he did in final season with the Cardinals? And which players would he lean on to perform this vital role?
The second part of the fullbacks roundup takes a look at the Commanders’ utilization of the fullback role in 2024, to provide the answers to these burning questions, and set the stage for the most under-the-radar position battle of the preseason.
Commanders’ Fullback Utilization in 2024
The Commanders had someone lined up at fullback on 161 offensive snaps last season, which represents 12.2% of offensive plays. This is who they were, and what they did out the FB alignment:
Who Carried the Load at Fullback?
As expected, the players who took the most snaps at FB were TEs John Bates and Ben Sinnott. Next after them were RBs Jeremy McNichols, Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson.
Readers who missed my Stats and Snaps column throughout the season may be surprised to see who was in sixth place. That’s right, WR Dyami Brown.
That is how things look based on total snap counts. In proportional terms, rookie Ben Sinnott actually spent the highest percentage of his offensive snaps lined up at FB (FB%). He was followed in close succession by RB Chris Rodriguez (7.8%), John Bates (7.4%), and Jeremy McNichols. The...
