June 19, 2025
During the offseason, we'll be taking a close look at Philadelphia Eagles players of interest who are currently on the roster but we may not know a lot about just yet. In this edition, we'll take a look at fullback Ben VanSumeren.
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VanSumeren was an undrafted rookie free agent in 2023 who did not make the initial 53-man roster, and who was thought of as more of an athlete than a football player in some scouting reports. His athleticism was indeed very appealing, as he ran a 4.45 40 and vertical jumped 42.5" at 231 pounds.
Credit: Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) on Twitter/X
VanSumeren eventually worked his way onto the 53-man roster during the 2023 season and found a role as a regular on special teams, where his athleticism was often praised by special teams coordinator Michael Clay.
During 2024 training camp, he also proved to be more than just an athlete, as he was one of the most physical defenders in camp, and also one of the most improved players. On the final day of 2024 camp, Eagles coaches had some players square off in 1-on-1's against each other in front of the whole team to close practice. VanSumeren lined up at receiver against rookie S Andre' Sam, and he ran an absolutely filthy corner route, complete with head fakes at the route stem, and absolutely dusted Sam, causing both offensive and defensive players to go nuts. But... No. 2 quarterback Kenny Pickett overthrew him.
VanSumeren played receiver at Garber High School in Essexville, Mich. In nine games during his senior season, according to maxpreps.com, VanSumeren caught 85 passes for 1259 yards (14.8 YPC) and 13 TDs. He also carried the ball 54 times for 387 yards (7.2 YPC) and 6 TDs. He originally enrolled at Michigan as a running back, but transferred to Michigan State, where his focus became on the defensive side of the ball.
"They wanted to give me a look at running some routes," VanSumeren said of his revelatory moment in training camp. "So I ran one. I had a nice little swim off the release, gave him a little head move from the outside, little push off, and then back out to the corner. So, you know, it just felt like it did in high school, I guess."
During the 2024 regular season, the Eagles decided to try VanSumeren at fullback. He played just 22 snaps in the regular offense, all at fullback. I'm currently working on a big article that requires me to watch every offensive snap during the 2024 season, and it was hard not to notice how good VanSumeren was, even in his limited role.
I cut up all of VanSumeren's run blocking snaps in 2024, and there's a lot to like. This is a fun watch:
• 0:09 mark: He blocks, turns, and seals a decent linebacker in Bobby Okereke.
• 0:14 mark: Another good block on Okereke helps spring a long run. And then I love how after he finishes his block he sprints downfield looking for more work.
• 0:27 mark: He gets good pushback on a block on Azeez Ojulari, springing another good gain.
• 0:46 mark: Again, he doesn't quit on plays. He'll play through the whistle.
• 0:58: He gets an edge on the ground with a cut block.
• 1:04: Physical block on a tough DT (B.J. Hill) who outweighs him by about 80 pounds.
• 1:10: Good cut block.
• 1:18: Pancake. 🥞
• 1:25: Gets 2.
• 1:31: Garbage time, and he's still playing through the whistle.
• 1:38: Physical strike on 41.
• 1:44: Physical strike on 35. 35 doesn't like it, yanks his facemask (and gets flagged for it).
• 1:51: 🚨🚨🚨 This is the rep to get excited about. Look at how fast he gets around around the corner and out in front of this Saquon Barkley run. VanSumeren's speed at fullback makes him unique. No other fullback in the league can do this.
Late in the 2024 season, VanSumeren suffered a still-unknown knee injury. I asked him what it was at the Super Bowl media night, and he would only disclose that (a) it wasn't an ACL tear, and (b) he'd be ready for the start of 2025 camp. He practiced during the spring, so he should indeed be a full go for training camp.
VanSumeren will resume his role as a core special teamer, and I believe the Eagles will ramp up their usage of him as a fullback in 2025. I would bet he'll get more than 100 snaps this season in that role, and it will be interesting to see if the Eagles try to get him involved as a receiver out of the backfield as well.
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