The Buffalo Bills saw a major departure from their offense this offseason when longtime fullback and special teams ace Reggie Gilliam signed with the New England Patriots.
A new report revealed that the Bills did aim to keep Gilliam and made an offer to the veteran, but he turned them down to join the AFC East rival instead. His departure left a hole in the backfield and is expected to create a training camp competition to replace him.
Reggie Gilliam Chose to Leave Bills
As Syracuse.com’s Ryan Talbot reported, the Bills did not intend to do away with the fullback position — as many NFL teams already have — in the transition to new head coach Joe Brady. Instead, the team had hoped to bring Gilliam back for another season.
“The fullback position may be the most interesting one to watch at training camp,” Talbot wrote. There is no guarantee that the team will utilize a fullback as they have in the past, but a source tells me the Bills did attempt to re-sign Reggie Gilliam before losing him in free agency to the Patriots. That alone tells me that Joe Brady may want a fullback on his final roster as long as one of the team’s two options steps up this summer.”
Gilliam had been a fixture of Buffalo’s offense since joining the team in 2020. Though he rarely got carries or targets in the offense, he appeared in 21% of the team’s offensive snaps last season and was a special teams regular, appearing in 77% of the snaps or more in each of the last five seasons.
Other than Gilliam’s departure, the Bills are returning the same backfield that saw great success last season. James Cook is looking to defend his NFL rushing title, while Ty Johnson will serve as a backup and Ray Davis found a new role as the team’s primary kick returner in addition to his backup running back duties.
Bills Bring in Two Candidates to Replace Reggie Gilliam
The Bills brought in two candidates to compete for Gilliam’s job, veteran Ben VanSumeren and rookie undrafted free agent Jackson Acker.
As Talbot wrote, there could already be a frontrunner in the competition to replace Gilliam.
“Jackson Acker was not seen in the spring, so he has some catching up to do in the battle against Ben VanSumeren,” Talbot wrote.
But fellow Syracuse.com writer Matt Parrino suggested the Bills could forgo the position this year, instead finding one to keep on the practice squad and instead leaning more heavily on defense under new defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard.
“One of those fullbacks could make the team, but the Bills could also add elsewhere and try to get one back on the practice squad,” Parrino wrote. “Gilliam was a roster staple over the past few seasons but spent most of his early seasons on the p-squad. Leonhard was in Denver last year on Vance Joseph’s staff, and the Broncos kept 12 defensive linemen. Look for the Bills to do the same this year and trim elsewhere.”
Key Member of Bills Offense Chose Rival Over Return to Buffalo