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Remember when they tried to tell you the fullback position was dead? Don’t tell that to San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, who perfectly employs fullback Kyle Juszczyk in his offense, is one of the few NFL coaches who still uses a fullback.
While some other teams use fullbacks, Juszczyk is the face of the position around the NFL.
You can now add Washington to the list of teams who employ a fullback — well, sort of. On Thursday, Washington signed fullback Alex Armah to the practice squad, and, depending on what happens with J.D. McKissic Sunday, he could find a role on the active roster soon.
McKissic, injured in Monday’s win over the Seahawks, missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday with a concussion. His status for Sunday appears in doubt, which means Antonio Gibson and Jaret Patterson will carry the load for Washington. However, the team would add a third running back for the game, which likely will be Wendell Smallwood, who is also on the practice squad.
Washington, which has been one of the NFL’s best rushing teams over the last three weeks, could also choose to activate Armah, giving Gibson and Patterson a lead blocker, and add another dangerous element to the running game.
Armah, 27, entered the NFL in 2017 out of West Georgia. He was a sixth-round pick by, you guessed it, the Carolina Panthers, where he spent the first four seasons of his NFL career. The 6-foot-2, 255-pound Armah signed with the Saints in the offseason and was released earlier this week.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s father, Norv, loved using the fullback over the years. Perhaps the younger Turner is intrigued about adding another element to Washington’s offense in 2021.
Armah may never see action with Washington, but it’s noteworthy the team added a fullback for the first time in years.