It has all flowed back easily for Ben VanSumeren, playing a position that is natural for him from his years of playing it in his youth and one that defines what he is on the field: tough, relentless, physical, and selfless.
That just happens to be a position the Eagles are hoping to bring back into vogue in the NFL, something Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie made very clear in the spring.
"We are going to try to resurrect the fullback position," Lurie said in a phone call to SportsRadio 94WIP in a segment honoring the retired Brandon Graham.
To that end, the Eagles informed VanSumeren, who began his Eagles career as a linebacker upon signing in the 2023 post-NFL Draft period and then moved to fullback last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury, that he would be a fullback – and special teams ace – on a full-time basis when he signed a one-year contract with the team in March.
This is something that VanSumeren thinks is best for his football career and his chance to impact the Eagles in 2025.
"I told them, when we were deciding which side of the ball I'm going to be playing going forward, I just asked, 'What is it that you think I'm going to excel at and be the best at?' They said, 'It's fullback,' and it's something I am looking forward to and I'm happy to do," VanSumeren said. "It is something that really never left me. It really feels natural. It's something I did growing up and it is something I did in college as well (at Michigan as a freshman before moving to linebacker there and at Michigan State) and so there has never been a time where I felt I had to knock the rust off."
VanSumeren is a great athlete, a physical specimen, and last season he had 22 snaps at fullback, with one reception. He gives the Eagles and Offensive Coordinator Kevin Patullo the ability to draw the fullback into the scheme in a two-back set, something that works well with Saquon Barkley and the rest of the backs.
The Eagles incorporated VanSumeren into the mix for those 22 snaps last season and otherwise used a one-back personnel package with great success, rushing for a franchise-record 3,048 yards in the regular season. Barkley, of course, was named the NFL's Offensive Player of the Year after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth most in league history.
Now, the team could have more flexibility using VanSumeren and challenging defenses to stop a power running game.
The commitment to VanSumeren also presents the possibility that the Eagles can help bring back to life the fullback position, one that has faded from NFL offenses in recent seasons. Only four teams used fullbacks substantially in 2024: Kyle Juszczyk, San Francisco's veteran fullback who plays in a lot of movement-based sets, led the NFL in offensive snaps at the position last season with 537 offensive snaps. Baltimore's Patrick Ricard (495), Miami's Alec Ingold (337), and Dallas' Hunter Luepke (328) were the other prominent fullbacks.
"I think it's kind of cool that maybe teams are using the position more," VanSumeren said. "It's something I love to play and it can impact the offense in a lot of ways. I'm still learning our offense and how we plan to attack teams and that is exciting for me. Having played linebacker in the NFL helps me see things at fullback in terms of blocking and route running – leverage, understanding what a defensive player wants you to do, and then figuring out how to do the opposite of that.
"Definitely, playing linebacker helps me in this scenario. And hearing what Mr. Lurie said makes me grateful that there is a place for the position in this offense. I'm grateful that he said that. They've always believed in me, from the beginning. I'm grateful and ready to prove them right."
To be a fullback in this league, VanSumeren said, a player has to be a good blocker. "An elite blocker, an impact blocker at the point of attack," he said. "Everything that you do on top of that is really extra. I know I bring the receiving piece and I know my speed with the ball and my running with the ball is good as well. It all starts with blocking."
VanSumeren suffered a torn ACL in the week of practice leading up to last season's Baltimore game and his rehab has gone so well that he feels he is stronger than he's ever been, more fluid, and, as he tests, better physically in every metric. He originally moved from fullback to the defensive side of the ball in college because coaches saw what kind of athlete he was and wanted to maximize that skill.
When he joined the Eagles, VanSumeren flashed those athletic skills. In the 2023 preseason, for example, he had 26 total tackles in three games, including 17 in the preseason finale against the Jets. He also became a key contributor on special teams, playing in nine games as a rookie.
All of that is in the past. A franchise that has had some good ones over time – Keith Byars, Kevin Turner, Jon Ritchie, and Leonard Weaver to name a few – is potentially making the fullback position a more prominent piece in the offensive attack.
Maybe we'll get a preview of what's to come when the Eagles open the preseason on August 7 against Cincinnati (7:30 PM kickoff, Lincoln Financial Field, NBC10 in Philadelphia).
"I'm excited, because it's been a while since I've been able to really hit somebody in a different jersey and that's the part that attracted me to football in the first place, the physicality of it," VanSumeren said. "We're going to step between the white lines in a game setting, not a practice setting, and cut it loose and do it. The position comes with reps and working with guys like Saquon, he makes it so easy. The more reps you get, the better it's going to be. We've talked and he loves the two-back runs and I love blocking for him, so that's the baseline and that's where we're at now."
