In this day in the NFL, versatility has played a key part in roster management, especially on the back end of the roster. The players have to show they can play multiple roles on all three levels on the field or the ability to play on all three downs. Now playing in a different position in a pinch is one thing, but making a full-blown position change is a beast in itself, having to learn an entire different schematic view from scratch. Most use this has last-ditch effort to stay in the NFL, which was the case for Jason Cabinda, but now it looks like he found his new home and isn’t leaving anytime soon.
Last year, the Detroit Lions coaching staff asked Cabinda to transition from linebacker to fullback after the team lost fullback Nick Bawden to a season-ending injury. So, of course, moving from a position where he started at Penn State to a position he hasn’t played since high school came with a little hesitation on Cabinda’s part, but as a professional, he made the most of the change.
While learning as he goes, he appeared in all 16 games while playing 93 snaps on offense. He was mostly a blocker typical for a fullback, but where he shined the most was on special teams, where he instantly turned into one of the Lions’ top special teamers.
Now ingrained into the fullback position full-time, Cabinda had an entire offseason to improve his technique and mentality as a full-time fullback. Nevertheless, he gave a little insight into how he wanted to attack his development, considering he mostly learned on the fly last year.
“When I made that switch, I didn’t have those mechanics I kind of wanted when it came to an offensive perspective, going into this offseason, being able to focus on the offensive side of the ball completely, and crafting and catching and running routes and doing all those kinds of things, I mean, it’s helped me tremendously. I think the amount of speed training I’ve done to get faster and be able to hit holes, be more explosive, be lower, there’s a whole lot of things, body control, and be precise with the things that I do. You know, when you play linebacker, everything you do is reacting. When you’re on offense, you try to dictate. So the mindset is kind of different in that aspect. So everything, from the drills to the workouts I’m doing, got to change.”
Since he was thrown into the mix right off the bat, Cabinda tried to learn from the likes of Kyle Juszczyk, who is probably considered the best fullback in the league, and Atlanta Falcons Keith Smith during his transition. He mentioned just watching those two helped his approach play fullback and adopting certain traits from them and applying it.
The dedication to improving his craft through film study and offseason workouts has leaped off the page, making Cabinda one of the more impressive players so far in training camp. With his athleticism as a prior linebacker, he has gained respect from Coach Campbell as someone who has grit and comes to work every day. However, he viewed Cabinda as raw due to the fact he just made the transition last year. Still, Campbell can see something in him that can bring a new dynamic to the offense as a hybrid player who can play multiple offensive facets, opening many possibilities.
During Campbell’s press conference on the first day of padded practice, he told how Bill Parcells told him to start a fight as a rookie during their first padded practice. At this point, we all know Campbell was fired up and ready to get going, but he did nominate Cabinda to be that guy to slap that guy after the play. Cabinda wanted to make sure with everyone even though he is aggressive and physical, he doesn’t make a bad and knows when to flip the switch from the style.
Even though D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams will be the 1-2 punch in the Lions running game, Cabinda will be an integral part of the Lions backfield. He mentions he gains the satisfaction of being that lead block, hoping the hole and free up those two for them to churn out big gains and put them in a position to succeed. It shows Cabinda is not afraid to put in the grunt work to make the players around him successful because it is how the team performs at the end of the day.
Through training camp, Cabinda has been mightily impressive so far with the improvement in his all-around game, either be pass-catching, run blocking, or pass protection. It will be no surprise to anyone if he is used a little differently than what we first saw last year, opening up the playbook a little more, allowing the offense to be more creative in their mismatches. It was no easy feat making a move from linebacker to fullback, but Cabinda has taken this in full stride and looks to have a meaningful impact in hopes of inspiring others on and off the field.