One position that became phased out by the Chicago Bears in recent years was fullback. Matt Nagy had little use for it during his stint. Thus ended a long run of memorable players at the position. However, it felt like only a matter of time before it came back once the team hired Luke Getsy as offensive coordinator. If the Bears plan to run a Shanahan-style offense, it will require a fullback to excel. Enter Khari Blasingame.
A former undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt, he began establishing himself as a presence in 2019 as a part-time player. Then in 2020, he became their full-time fullback and the lead blocker for Derrick Henry with the Tennessee Titans. It just so happens that this was the same year Henry ran for 2,027 yards. The highest total of his stellar career. Tennessee once again had the 5th-ranked rushing offense last season as well.
Blasingame is a strong blocker but also brings added versatility as a pass-catcher.
EVERY Blasingame touch as a Titan pic.twitter.com/rneLh7qW5v
— No Context Tennessee Titans (@NoContextTitans) March 16, 2022
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Khari Blasingame consumed a guy's soul pic.twitter.com/s8jkwKJwMO
— Nick Olson (@NickOlsonNFL) August 29, 2019
This is great news for David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert. It is felt the true strength of the Bears offense right now is their rushing attack. What better way to lean into that than by giving them somebody that can help open more lanes. Up until recently, any sort of fullback role had been filled by J.P. Holtz, a backup tight end. Not anymore.
It is clear head coach Matt Eberflus wants to lean more into the true identity of Bears football. Yes, Justin Fields is the priority at quarterback. That hasn’t changed. Still, this organization has always been at its best when it pounds the football. Khari Blasingame is exactly the type of player they’re looking for. If he stays healthy, he’ll give them all sorts of tone-setting collisions moving forward.
They have an identity in mind and he fits it well.
