Story by
Fullbacks are back—and Seahawks Brady Russell is leading the way
- Story by
- Fullbacks are back—and Seahawks Brady Russell is leading the way
There's a marriage of an offensive mind and an offensive weapon brewing All-Pro potential within the Seattle Seahawks starting unit, but the player in question might be the least obvious name there is. Fullback Brady Russell is a popular breakout pick as Seattle travels to take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 2 because offensive coordinator Brian Fleury's understanding of defense allows him to uncover old-school secrets to fullback usage.
There have only been a few good fullbacks in recent years—and the Associated Press' All-Pro selections show as much. Of the past 10 times a fullback was named a first-teamer, Vonta Leach accounts for three, Kyle Juszczyk and Mike Tolbert account for two apiece, and Patrick Ricard , John Kuhn and Leonard Weaver each account for one. Two pieces of context are vital to unpacking the reason behind the duplicates; first, the press took the FB position out from being a standalone category to being lumped in with the "flex" terminology. This and the pass-heavy direction of the league resulted in them not naming any All-Pro fullbacks at all between 2016-22. However, the NFL reestablished the designated "FB" spot in 2023, and Juszczyk won both of the past two while working with Fleury.
Advertisement
Fleury was the tight ends coach in San Francisco , with whom fullbacks tend to frequently practice (the modern version of the position is best classified as a tight end/running back "tweener" hybrid.) Kyle Shanahan's 49ers are known for doing the basics of offensive football better than anyone, building their creative-yet-concise playbook on a foundation of running and blocking. That's why they found a way to get their fullback the ball four times as much as any other team last season.
Juszczyk had 213 receiving yards last season . That's less than two games for an All-Pro wide receiver. For a fullback, though? The next closest was Denver 's Adam Prentice with 53. An extra 160 yards over the course of the season might not sound like a ton, but that would be a dominant lead in yards at any other position over the second place finisher. It's exponentially more valuable when it's quadruple what everyone else gets from that spot, though, because of the headaches it causes opposing teams who have to keep up with fewer dimensions to their gameplan. San Francisco added these yards in a new position without subtracting from the rest of theirs. Technically, it's because of the blocking mismatches a 6'1 2/8," 248-pound running and receiving threat creates.
So, how does Russell compare? Corbin Smith already made the Juszczyk comp on Russell's first NFL catch last week. The angle route was one of the most eye-opening play calls of Brian Fleury's debut. To see and project that skill in the career special teamer echoes the sentiment many players have said that the new OC adjusts based on what he's seeing the defense come to understand. This play explains better than 100 more words, as it went for one of the most open first downs of the day in a vacated middle of the field.
While researching this article, I found another stat that suggests the comeback of the fullback could be one of the NFL's biggest changes this season . This will be one of the top storylines in Week 2, as the Cardinals will see the angle route on tape and be able to prepare this time. Will it still be open when Drew Lock needs it? Russell and the fullback position will have more eyes Sunday than it has since the days of Michael Robinson.
This article originally appeared on Seahawks Wire: Fullbacks are back—and Seahawks Brady Russell is leading the way
