The fullback may be making a comeback in Sin City and that is no accident. For Klint Kubiak, the position is more than an old-school wrinkle. It could be a window into the identity he wants the Las Vegas Raiders’ offense to have.
Kubiak’s answer about the fullback position said less about one player and more about how he wants to build an offense. Asked why the position matters, the Raiders’ head coach did not lead with power running or short-yardage math. He instead led with versatility, describing a player who lines up at tight end and fullback, handles pass protection, contributes on all four special teams units, and ranks among the smartest players on the roster. That is a demanding job description for a position many teams have phased out entirely.
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Connor Heyward’s answer on Sunday backed that up almost word for word. He didn’t try to carve out a distinct role for himself. Instead, he described an offense where receivers block, tight ends flex, and everyone does more than their position title suggests.
When he said he’s just doing his “one of 11,” that wasn’t false modesty. It was an honest read on what Kubiak is building: a scheme where overlapping roles aren’t a fallback; they’re the point.
That approach carries real logic. A fullback who can also play in-line, protect the quarterback, and start on special teams gives a coaching staff scheme flexibility without burning a roster spot on a specialist. It lets Kubiak disguise personnel groupings and keep defenses guessing about run or pass intentions.
In an offense built around gap-scheme running and misdirection, a fullback who can genuinely threaten as a receiving or blocking tight end adds real value beyond nostalgia for old-school football.
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But the second answer of Kubiak makes the first problematic. When asked directly what physical tone a fullback sets in the run game, he was notably unsentimental. “They can help it, but it’s up to them.” “That’s not the language of a coach who is trying to make his identity about the position. It’s the voice of a coach who cares much more about the position schematically than symbolically.
The subtext going into the season matters. Heyward and Patrick Gurd are fighting for reps and relevance in an offense that could potentially do without a true fullback, depending on the needs of the scheme. “It’s the entry fee,” Kubiak says of versatility. The question is whether that versatility translates into consistent snaps or if it gets scheme’d out entirely as camp continues.
*Top Photo: Ramble Illustration/IG ConnorHeyward1