Patriots Defender Hints at Wild Possibility of Playing Fullback

The New England Patriots could bring a major shake-up to the offensive side of the ball this season.

Aug 2, 2023; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Keion White (51) heads to the practice fields at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports | Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

The New England Patriots are taking on a bit of experimenting during their latest training camp sessions.

Keion White, the Patriots' second-year defensive end from Georgia Tech, has been seeing some recent snaps in the backfield at the fullback position alongside his regular snaps on defense in New England's practice.

White commented on the switch up during Monday's practice, where he alluded to his time playing tight end in his college days helping him make the transition in camp:

"Fullback, yeah. Trying new things out, just seeing where I can go, anything I can do... Today was day one, so I haven't even watched the film yet. We'll see [how I did]. I played tight end. Did a little bit of that in college, so just trying to get back to that."
Keion White

It was during his time at Old Dominion that White saw those reps at tight end, spending his freshman year in 2018 lining up on the offense in a more limited role, posting 11 catches for 124 yards in the process. He then saw his inevitable switch to defensive end in 2019, proving to be a dominant force in the front seven and sticking there since.

White's placement at fullback may be nothing more than a short camp trial for coaches to look at what their 2023 second-rounder could do in an offensive role. Still, if he comes in to show out in his reps in the backfield during the early motions of camp, there's a chance the Patriots could test out the possibility in a live game.

With Patriots preseason coming up right around the corner, it could effectively provide a perfect chance to see if White can be an impact player on both ends of the ball, or just stick to his bread and butter in rushing the passer.

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