Modern NFL offenses have mostly treated the fullback like a relic. The Las Vegas Raiders decided that was reason enough to bring one back.
By signing Connor Heyward away from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Raiders made one of the offseason’s clearest scheme-first moves. It was not a headline-grabbing splash in the usual sense, but it was a revealing one: after two seasons without a fullback, Las Vegas added a player for a role that many teams have simply stopped carrying. In Klint Kubiak’s system, though, that role still matters.
Kubiak has made the case plainly. In his offense, a fullback is not just a blocker standing in the backfield as a symbolic nod to old-school football. He described the position as a versatile piece, one that can line up as a tight end, play fullback, pass protect and contribute on special teams. He also stressed the broader point behind it: running the ball matters, and stopping the run matters too. In other words, this is not nostalgia. It is structure.
The numbers help explain why Kubiak sees it that way. In 2025, his Seattle Seahawks used a fullback on 261 of 1,064 offensive snaps, a meaningful share in a league where fullbacks are often disappearing from rosters altogether. Across the NFL, only 13 of 32 teams featured a fullback on the roster in 2025. That makes Las Vegas’ decision even more notable. The Raiders did not just add a player; they added an uncommon function.
Why the fit makes sense
Kubiak’s offense is built around zone-run and play-action concepts, and a fullback can help connect those ideas. Dylan Laube explained the practical version after practice: the fullbacks essentially make the hole, and the runner follows. That is a simple description, but it captures the point. The fullback does not need to dominate the stat sheet to change the math at the line of scrimmage.
Connor Heyward also framed the job in unsentimental terms. It is not really about getting the ball here and there, he said. It is about opening lanes, helping the run game marry with the pass game and handling the dirty work on special teams. That is the kind of assignment modern offenses tend to spread across multiple players. The Raiders are choosing to concentrate it in one role again.
Adam Butler’s take shows why that can matter. If a fullback inserts into the line, motions out and comes back in, or creates an extra gap between the tackle and guard or tackle and tight end, the defense has to account for another layer of movement and possibility. That can complicate fits and force hesitation. For a team trying to make the run game functional and the play-action game believable, that is a useful edge.
What it means for Las Vegas
The Raiders’ move is not just about one player. It is about an offensive identity that wants to run, protect, and make the details matter. Heyward may not be the type of signing that dominates preseason conversation, but he is exactly the type of signing that can reveal what a coach believes wins football games.
And Kubiak was direct on that point as well: running the ball is important, because winning football games starts there, along with stopping the run on defense. That is a sturdy old argument, but in a modern NFL that often prefers to solve problems with spacing and speed, the Raiders are trying something less common. They are betting that the right fullback can still make the whole thing work a little cleaner.
After two seasons without one, that is a meaningful reset. In a league where only a small fraction of teams still keep a fullback around, Connor Heyward gives the Raiders a rare tool. The question now is not whether the role looks outdated. It is whether Las Vegas can make it feel useful again.
