Andy Reid has never had a season where he didn’t carry a fullback on his team’s 53-man roster.
Even during his tenure with the Kansas City Chiefs, he’s always had a fullback. He made it a priority to go out and acquire one when he arrived in 2013, sending CB Javier Arenas to the Arizona Cardinals for FB Anthony Sherman.
When Sherman retired from the NFL, many thought that Reid could change with the times. The position is a bit of a dying breed in the NFL, with only a handful of teams keeping a true fullback on the roster. Despite that fact, the Chiefs went out and signed FB Mike Burton during the offseason and kept him for the past two years.
With Burton moving on this offseason, those same questions that we saw following Sherman’s departure have come up once again. They’re perhaps a bit louder now being that Kansas City didn’t sign a free agent fullback, draft one or sign one following the draft. Has Chiefs HC Andy Reid finally moved on from the fullback position?
At one point, it felt almost foolish to ask. Now, we have some evidence that Reid at least acknowledges how the NFL has changed in regard to the position. Speaking with Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce during his interview on the “New Heights Show” podcast, Reid was asked about the NFL offensive evolution during his tenure as a head coach. One particular part touched on how offenses have changed and moved away from the fullback position.
“We did a lot of two-back stuff back then,” Reid said of his time in Philly and Green Bay. “Eh. There’s not a lot of that in the league (now). San Francisco would be one of the teams. The fullback has kind of been eased out of the game a little bit.”
Jason Kelce responded, mentioning how teams have sort of adjusted to incorporate the tight end position, with more of an H-Back role.
“Now teams are trying to do some of that fullback stuff with the second tight end,” Jason said. “The off position and kind of get some of those runs, but it’s not the same.”
Reid, of course, acknowledged the change.
“That’s right,” Reid said. “Yeah, it’s different. A little bit different.”
Maybe it’s nothing and the Chiefs will soon add a fullback to their 90-man offseason roster. Still, it feels notable that Reid is out here acknowledging how the NFL has evolved away from the fullback position. Even Burton was seldom used over the past two seasons in Kansas City. Perhaps Reid has come to the realization that there are better uses for a roster spot in the current iteration of the NFL.
