NFL News NFL News, Reports and Updates
How Eagles concocted a legitimate fullback out of nowhere originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Eagles linebacker Ben VanSumeren enjoys pretty much every part of playing fullback.
Except one.
Since he wears No. 57, he has to report as an eligible receiver every single time he touches the field on offense.
“That is annoying,” VanSumeren said. “It’s annoying but it’s something we’ve got to do. We talked about maybe changing numbers but I think it’s too deep in the season to do that.”
VanSumeren, 24, better get used to it. Because this is more than a gimmick, more than an experiment. The second-year linebacker from Michigan State looks like a legitimate option to play some fullback the rest of the year.
Earlier this season, VanSumeren got the first offensive snap of his career in the Tampa game but on Sunday against the Giants, the Eagles unleashed him even more. In the 28-3 win, VanSumeren played five offensive snaps and had some key blocks to spring big runs.
Take a look:
“Listen, he’s doing an unbelievable job,” tight end Jack Stoll said. “He’s got the right mentality, which is 90% of it. I think he could go out there and do some things. That’s where I’m excited to see this package hopefully expand. I’m always excited when I see big 5-7 run out on that field.”
The Eagles signed VanSumeren as an undrafted free agent last season and he eventually carved out a role on special teams. That has continued in 2024. VanSumeren has been a core special teamer for Michael Clay’s unit, but he remains a bit buried on the depth chart at linebacker.
The more you can do, right?
VanSumeren grew up as a receiver and was a star offensive player in high school. He even went to Michigan to play offense before transferring to Michigan State and becoming a linebacker.
“Just getting back to my offensive roots,” VanSumeren said. “It feels natural to me. I don’t feel like there’s really any rust that I needed to knock off or anything like that…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-concocted-legitimate-fullback-nowhere-110000781.html
Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-10-24 11:00:00
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.
