For many teams in the NFL, the fullback is no longer a rostered position. The Raiders had Jakob Johnson the previous two years, but with the new coaching staff, he was not brought back and not replaced.
The Raiders, instead, will deploy a tight end as the run blocker when one is needed.
Their first opponent has a new coaching staff as well. Led by Jim Harbaugh. And he’s a little more old school. Perhaps mixed with a little new school.
The old school part is having a fullback. The new school is having a fullback who looks like this.
https://twitter.com/BussinWTB/status/1831098151073370227
At 64-, 300 pounds, Scott Matlock will be like a tank coming through the line. Whether it’s blocking or carrying the rock in short yardage, that’s a unit the Raiders will have to contend with in their first game of the season.
Matlock was selected in the sixth round of last year’s draft as a defensive lineman out of Boise State. He appeared in 12 games his rookie season with a combined 15 tackles (six solo). And now he’s flipping to the other side of the ball and trying to go through players at his original position.
He’s basically like having an extra offensive lineman coming out of the backfield. Or defensive lineman. Whatever. Should be fun to see if it works.