For the past six seasons, the Buffalo Bills have had one fullback, Reggie Gilliam, on their roster. After beating out veteran Patrick DiMarco during his first pro season, the man they call “Sledge” became an indispensable part of Buffalo’s roster.
However, all good things come to an end, and for the Bills and Gilliam, their business relationship ended this offseason. Gilliam signed a three-year contract worth $12 million with the New England Patriots, which just added insult to the sadness of losing a popular player. For the first time in a long time, the Bills need to decide who will play fullback—or if they’ll even keep one on the 53-man roster.
In today’s edition of “91 players in 91 days,” we discuss one of the two men vying to replace Gilliam.
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**Height/Weight:** 6’2” 250 lbs.
**Experience/Draft:** 4; signed with the Philadelphia Eagles following the 2023 NFL Draft
**Acquired:** Signed with Buffalo on 4/29/2026
**Financial situation (per Spotrac):** VanSumeren signed a one-year deal that contains zero guaranteed money. The total value of the contract and his 2026 cap hit are the same, which is $1.075 million if he makes the roster. Buffalo can release him with no dead cap charge.
**2025 Recap:** VanSumeren played exactly one special teams snap during the entire 2025 season, as he suffered a season-ending patellar tendon tear on the opening kickoff of the season. He had played in all three of Philadelphia’s preseason contests, as well, and he did not register a statistic in any of those games.
**Positional outlook:** VanSumeren is one of two fullbacks on the roster. Undrafted free agent signing Jackson acker is the other.
**2026 Offseason:** VanSumeren is healthy and participating in offseason workouts.
**2026 Season outlook:** There is no guarantee that the Bills will even keep a fullback, as they could choose to use one of their three tight ends—Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, or Jackson Hawes—as a lead blocker. They could even lean into more two-halfback sets, using either Ray Davis or Ty Johnson to supplement James Cook III in the backfield. However, if they kept VanSumeren, who is a converted linebacker, they wouldn’t just be keeping a fullback. They’d be adding a special teams weapon, as well.
That last part leads me to believe that VanSumeren has a good shot at making the 53-man roster. Replacing Reggie Gilliam won’t be easy, as he did so much for the Bills on special teams in addition to his role as a lead blocker-slash-sometimes tight end on offense. VanSumeren has played just 22 snaps on offense in his professional career, so the battle between him and undrafted rookie Jackson Acker will be a real one. However, VanSumeren has the toughness and the special teams versatility to add value in many ways.
A fullback battle during training camp might not be flashy, but for the Bills, it should be fierce.