The New England Patriots 90-man roster already featured a pair of fullbacks in Jack Westover and 2025 UDFA Brock Lampe. That did not stop them from adding another in free agency as one of the team’s first signing was Reggie Gilliam.
Signing a reported three-year contract worth up to $12 million, Gilliam will now slot in atop the fullback depth chart and be a contributing piece in Josh McDaniels’ offense.
What else is there to know about Gilliam, though. Let’s take a closer look at the free agency pickup.
Hard facts
Name: Reggie Gilliam
Position: Fullback
Jersey number: 44
Opening day age: 29 (8/20/1997)
Measurements: 6’0 5/8”, 244 lbs, 34” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Scouting report
Strengths: Despite earning the nickname “Sledge” during his time in Buffalo, Gilliam is not the traditional downhill thumper that Josh McDaniels has typically employed at fullback. While Gilliam is certainly no stranger to contact and prides himself on the physicality he plays with, he is at his best as a movement piece and in motion — shinning in Buffalo’s outside zone run scheme — where he can often get to the second level.
The Bills were very successful running out of their two back groupings with Gilliam last season, averaging 4.9 yards per rush. New England, however, average just 3.1 yards and a negative EPA/rush. That hurt their play-action success out of those groups, while Buffalo averaged nearly 9.0 yards per pass with Gilliam on the field.
Gilliam also played a key role in the Bills’ tush push as he served as the “pusher” behind Josh Allen. Buffalo was one of the top team’s in the league on QB sneaks while the Patriots finished near the middle of the pack.
Lastly, Gilliam is a strong special teams player across multiple units. He played a key role as a blocker on Buffalo’s successful kickoff return unit and recorded a career-high 11 special teams tackles last season.
Weaknesses: As a versatile fullback, Gilliam does not have many warts in his game and likely should have been named a Pro Bowler last season. Perhaps one area of improvement could be as a short-yardage rusher as Gilliam’s eight career carries have gone for just 14 yards and two first downs with a 25 percent success rate.
Experience
NFL: Buffalo Bills (2020-25), New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Toledo (2016-19)
A walk-on at Toledo, Gilliam went on to appear in 40 games over four years for the Rockets playing both tight end and fullback. He also took on a key special teams role and ended his collegiate career with six blocked kicks — including four his junior season when he was named second-team All-Mid-American-Conference.
Gilliam was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and made the team’s 53-man roster out of training camp. That is where he has gone on to play his entire NFL career to date, earning a two-year, $5.2 million contract extension in 2022 before re-signing in 2025 on a one-year, $2 million contract.
2025 review
Stats: 19 games (3 starts) | 259 offensive snaps (20.4%), 373 special teams snaps (76%) | 2 carries, 4 yards (2.0 Y/A) | 2 targets, 2 catches (100%), 24 receiving yards (12.0/catch) | 13 total tackles (6 solo)
Season recap: With the Bills forced to lean on their run game, 2025 was a career-season for Gilliam in terms of playing time — logging 21 percent of the team’s offensive snaps (235 total). The unit was successful with Gilliam on the field as he ranked 10th in run-blocking grade among non-offensive lineman as Buffalo ended the year with the league’s No. 1 ranked rushing attack.
Gilliam also took his spot across numerous special teams units and shined as a blocker on kick return, helping Ray Davis rank near the top of the league averaging over 30 yards per return.
Patriots preview
What will be his role? Combining Josh McDaniels last season in New England (’21) and first as a head coach in Las Vegas (’22), no team used two-back formations more (roughly 28 percent). With no traditional fullback on the roster last season, that number dipped to 22 percent — which still ranked among the highest rates in the league. Adding Gilliam to the fold could push that number closer to 30 percent leading to perhaps another career-year in terms of playing time for the fullback. Gilliam will also have a key role on special teams as his blocking will be a needed boost on kickoff return, something Eliot Wolf highlighted as an area of upgrade earlier this offseason: “Our blocking needs to kick up a notch.”
What is his growth potential? The Patriots need the 29-year old Gilliam to be the player he has been throughout his career to boost their run game. However, the former tight end has shown an ability to make plays in the passing game near the line of scrimmage in his career — highlighted by the 2022 season in which he caught eight receptions for 69 yards and a touchdown. McDaniels getting him involved in the screen game would not be a surprise.
Does he have positional versatility? McDaniels has never been shy of moving his fullbacks around the formation in order to create mismatches elsewhere. That will not stop with Gilliam whose versatility was highlighted by his usage last season in Buffalo: 167 backfield snaps, 45 inline snaps, 27 slot snaps, 20 snaps out wide. And as mentioned, he will be a key special teams player across multiple units.
What is his injury history? Gilliam has largely been available during his career appearing in at least 14 games every season. He has missed games here-and-there early in his career due to two separate ankle sprains and a knee sprain. Gilliam’s 2024 season saw the most wear and tear on his body as he missed two games with a hip injury and managed a groin injury that required offseason surgery. He bounced back to play all 17 games last season, however.
What does it mean for New England’s salary cap? Gilliam’s three-year contract carries the highest total value ($10.8 million) among any fullback in the league while his $3.6 average per year ranks third. The deal will have a minor impact on New England’s salary cap as the $2.8 million cap hit is worth just 0.80 percent of the team’s total cap.
What does it mean for New England’s draft outlook? The financial investment in Gilliam at the fullback position would take New England out of the draft market in the first place. Add in the fact that Westover and Lampe remain on the roster and it is safe to assume that the Patriots are done at the position.
How safe is his roster spot? Even with internal competition at the roster, the investment early in free agency should lock Gilliam on to the roster next season.
Grade: A-
