The Bears are Bringing Back the Fullback (Again)

One of my favorite side stories of the 2022 Bears season was the return of the fullback position.

And now, we’re reportedly getting a second chapter.

Khari Blasingame is reportedly back in the fold with Chicago’s football team in 2023:

Blasingame’s agency reports it is a two-year extension for the Bears fullback. So after three years of going without having anyone in the position under old management, the new guys are rolling with Blasingame for this upcoming season and the next. What a turn of events.

Blasingame, 26, played in 16 of 17 games last season. The Vanderbilt product played more on special teams (215 snaps) than on offense (174), but his contributions were appreciated. So much so, he is getting an extension with the team. Clearly, the Bears like what they saw from Blasingame last year. And the feeling must be mutual, as Blasingame re-ups with the Bears instead of opting for free agency. Hey, it’s a win-win kind of deal. I like those.

Sometimes, I like to think about how the Bears put together a 12-win division championship winner in 2018 while employing a fullback. And then I think about how they went 22-27 in the three years that followed after making the fullback disappears. I know better than to think that employing a fullback was a driving force behind that magical season, but the causation vs. correlation debate is a fun one to have among friends. Particularly ones who don’t take fullback chatter too seriously.

And with that, the first of many holes on this roster gets filled. Who’s next?