The Seattle Seahawks, like most NFL teams, have gone away from using fullbacks as ball-carriers.
Many teams don’t carry fullbacks at all, and although the Seahawks have continued to roster one, they are primarily used as core special teamers and occasionally pass catchers out of the backfield – a la Tre Madden the last two seasons.
Madden was let go this offseason however, and the team replaced him with the bruising Nick Bellore – an eight-year veteran who spent his first six NFL seasons as a linebacker before transitioning to fullback with San Francisco.
“He’s been great,” offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer commented on Tuesday. “He doesn’t get a lot of reps out there all the time, but when he’s in there he’s always on top of his assignments.”
Bellore’s experience as a linebacker helps him call out defensive schemes and fix formations from the fullback spot, a key role for a team filled with young, inexperienced running backs.
“He’s a great what we call ‘problem solver,’” Schottenheimer continued. “He can see things; and whether it’s fixing a formation, or helping a young [running] back, or even when there’s a certain front that he needs to make an adjustment on you see the veteran savvy in Nick come out. Very physical, you can see that linebacker mentality that he has, he’s done a very nice job so far.”
The Seahawks only have one fullback in camp, so Bellore’s job seems secure unless the team decides to abandon the position altogether.
He has experience on the special teams, offense, and defense – the Seahawks had him doing linebacker drills last week – which should help him carve out an impactful role on this Seattle team in 2019.
