Reggie Gilliam seems like a fullback’s fullback

In one of their first free agent signings, the New England Patriots added fullback Reggie Gilliam. After having a true dedicated fullback on the roster for the better part of two decades, the Patriots had not employed one in-season since Jakob Johnson left after the 2021 season.

As he begins his Patriots career after five seasons with the Buffalo Bills, Gilliam is well aware of the history of the fullback position in New England. During his introductory meeting with the media on Thursday he shared it's something he discussed with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, but already knew arguably the greatest Patriots fullback of all time before becoming a Patriot.

"I talked to Josh and obviously with James Develin [who was] here for a long time. I've made pretty good friends with him over the years because he works with the [NFL]PA now," Gilliam shared. "That was one of the first things he said to me. He said that he's had a history with fullbacks and he loves a true vicious style player and the physicality has been being preached ever since I walked in this building. So, I'm excited for it."

In addition to "vicious" Gilliam shared "tenacious" is another word he'd use to describe his playstyle. "Once you turn on the tape, if you see somebody's head pop, it's going to be because of me." he added.

^{Reggie Gilliam will be the Patriots' first true fullback since James Develin}

Talking with Gilliam reinforced the old-school fullback mentality that shows up with him on film. It stands out - especially because it's a position he didn't start playing until college.

"In 2016 I got to Toledo and Kareem Hunt was the starting running back and I was like, 'there's no way I'm getting on the field.' I was I was a running back my whole life," Gilliam shared. "And then when I got to Toledo and we went to camp, Jason Candle, my head coach, said 'we can only take so many guys to camp'...I was like, 'I need to go to camp.' Like, I walked on. I was like, 'if I don't show up in camp, how am I ever going to make this team?' So I switched to fullback and here we are."

"I was a 240lb running back," he added when asked if he had to put on weight. "So I was already a fullback playing running back essentially."

Although Gilliam started playing fullback in college, it's a position he watched well before that. He shared that one fullback in particular stood out to him when watching one of his favorite players as a kid.

"Growing up my favorite running back to watch was LaDainian Tomlinson, and his fullback was Lorenzo Neal. So I always knew about the fullback and I essentially just think of the fullback as the running back without the ball. I think of him as the bus driver, really. So, the ball is following the fullback. So it's the same type of reading the schemes. If the running back would cut off this guy, you've got to cut off him to make your block."

^{Lorenzo Neal led the way for many great running backs during his 16-year NFL career, most notably LaDainian Tomlinson}

Just how emersed at the position is Gilliam now? Right on his phone, he has immediate access to decades of fullback experience in the NFL.

"So actually we just started a group chat. All the fullbacks," he shared. "All the current fullbacks, all the past fullbacks, we're all in a group chat together." He added that there's about "30 of us" in the group chat.

That group chat did make it a little tougher to answer one more fullback-history question though, listing his top fullbacks of all time?

"I don't want to get in trouble in the group chat," Gilliam said with a laugh. "But I feel like I've got to put Mike Alstott at one, but I've got to put a little asterisk next to it because he was really a running back. They gave him the ball way more than any other fullback. But then I would put - Jim Brown's got to be up there, too, but that's another one that's more of a running back than a fullback. But like true fullbacks, I'd have to put Lorenzo Neal as my number one. He was my favorite watching growing up, and still think that stands true."

Gilliam wore No. 41 in Buffalo, the same number Neal wore for most of his career including his time with the Chargers. That's taken in New England by Brenden Schooler, so he'll end up with No. 44 instead.

"A traditional fullback number," he noted. Feels fitting.