Eagles notebook: How the Eagles plan to replace their fullback
The Eagles lost their fullback before he ever stepped foot on the field as an offensive player in 2025.
Ben VanSumeren suffered a season-ending knee injury on the opening kickoff against the Cowboys, but the Eagles aren’t scrapping all of those plays that use a lead blocker. They’re just going to adjust.
“We have guys that can definitely fill that role and I think it’s something we can continue to do,” Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo said.
The two names Patullo mentioned specifically: Tight ends Kylen Granson and Cameron Latu.
During the Cowboys game, we saw Granson take over some of those responsibilities. Of his 17 offensive snaps in the opener, three came in the backfield.
“I’ve been doing it a long time now,” Granson said. “It’s part of the assignment, part of my role. Just doing the best I can when it comes to that. Making sure I kick them out or seal them in and just watch 2-6 do his thing.”
While Granson made the Eagles’ 53-man roster out of training camp, Latu is on their practice squad. But there’s a chance he could be elevated or even promoted, especially because Dallas Goedert is dealing with a knee injury and is out for Sunday. It seems notable that Latu’s number this week changed from 87 to 36 this week.
Unlike Granson, Latu said he has never played fullback before, but he’s confident he’ll be able to pick it up.
“I feel like fullback is the same type of blocking techniques as tight end,” Latu said. “Just a different alignment.”
The Eagles initially began using VanSumeren on offense last year but they lost him in the middle of the season to a different knee injury. In 2024, the Eagles signed veteran fullback Khari Blasingame to preserve that fullback package. This year, they’re looking internally first.
The biggest difference between blocking as a tight end and a fullback?
“You have more vision (as a fullback),” Granson said. “You’re able to see because you’re further back, you’re off the ball. You can see blocks develop. When you’re on the ball, the block’s happening now. You’re engaging with the D-end. You can read it out, you can see lanes forming, how the ‘backers are playing. It’s a little more reaction based on how it forms. Each has its own merits. Inline, you’re not having a ‘backer with a 5-yard head start sprinting at you. Off the ball, you obviously have more vision.”
He’s the Mann
Eagles punter Braden Mann is off to a hot start in 2025 with a big-time performance against the Cowboys. In the season opener, Mann had 3 punts for 146 yards for an average (and net average) of 48.7. He had two non-returnable punts inside the 20-yard line against the most dangerous return man in the NFL.
It was a big week for Mann.
“I think Braden is probably one of the more hardworking guys I’ve ever been around,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “He’s probably the most perfectionist that I’ve ever been around as well.”
The Eagles this week brought in a punter for a tryout, but it had nothing to do with Mann. It was actually about Chiefs punter Matt Araiza. Because Araiza is a lefty, the Eagles brought in another lefty punter, Luke Elzinga, earlier this week.
This is a practice the Eagles have used in recent years so their punt returners can get some reps with a ball coming off a left foot. It’s something that Week 1 punt returner Jahan Dotson finds really helpful.
Because the spin is different off a left foot, it helps to get that practice. Dotson explained that the whole idea is to get your body in line to field a punt and the ball will tail left or right depending on who punts it. So getting these practice reps is about seeing that spin so you can trust your preparation in the game and better square up to the football.
The making of a nickname
Tank Bigsby said no one calls him by his given name, Cartavious.
Not friends, not family, no one. It’s one of those nicknames that has become his real name.
And it’s a nickname with a cool origin story.
“I was like 7 years old and I was running the ball,” Bigsby said this week after getting traded to the Eagles from the Jaguars. “My helmet came off and I kept running. My mom was like, ‘You’re running like a tank.’ And ever since then, they’ve been calling me Tank.”
No participation trophies
It was a light day for A.J. Brown in the Eagles’ opener. The Pro Bowl receiver was targeted just one time and that didn’t come until late in the fourth quarter.
Head coach Nick Sirianni went out of his way this week to praise Brown for his focus and blocking in the 24-20 win over the Cowboys. But Brown wasn’t a huge fan of that type of praise for doing the dirty work part of his job.
“Oh, I didn’t like it, honestly,” Brown said. “It’s cool to make an example out of it but I’m not in it for participation trophies. Nah, I’m cool on that.”
Brown, 28, spoke before the season of putting a stamp on his being the best receiver in the NFL. This is a guy who had over 1,400 receiving yards in his first two years with the Eagles and put up another 1,000-yard season in just 13 games last year.
At times, Brown is a willing blocker but he’s obviously much more than that. He very well might be the best receiver in the NFL and if he starts getting more targets, he’ll be able to show it.
Eagles notebook: How the Eagles plan to replace their fullback
