True fullback Reggie Gilliam is likely to be a big hit in the Patriots’ running game this season

FOXBOROUGH — No one was happier to have pads go on than Reggie Gilliam.

“It’s fullback day,” Gilliam said with a smile after Thursday’s drizzly Patriots practice, the first padded workout of the summer that ran just shy of two hours on the fields at Gillette Stadium.

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Gilliam got plenty of work trying to push the pile. He also found himself split wide on occasion, and he spent time working with the special teamers.

“It was a little wet out there today, so it was kind of hard to find footing,” said Gilliam, who turns 29 next month. “And you know, you’re obviously not hitting for a year or so, so it’s a little difficult to find that fit. But it’s coming along.”

One area where the Patriots altered their offensive philosophy this offseason was fullback. While the Patriots had tight end Jack Westover masquerading as a part-timer at the position last season, the 6-foot-1-inch, 255-pound Gilliam is more of a traditional power back, fortified by six years in the NFL clearing a path for the likes of Bills running back James Cook and others.

To that end, Gilliam signed a three-year, $10.8 million deal with the Patriots in March. While he might have been lost in bigger-ticket acquisitions such as A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs, given Gilliam’s résumé — last year, he served as the lead blocker for Cooks, who led the league in rushing — his presence should be impactful.

He’s enjoyed the acclimation process. Gilliam, who is part of a fullback text chain — which includes former New England cult hero James Develin, as well as legends Mike Alstott and Lorenzo Neal — said Thursday he’s had a great start to his career with the Patriots.

“It’s going well,” he added. “Just trying to adjust and learn the new system and figure out the Patriot Way, and how we do things here versus where I was last.”

One thing that’s eased Gilliam’s transition is extensive film work with offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who has shown him highlights of Develin and what he accomplished as a part of the Patriots’ offense from 2012-19.

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What did Gilliam pick up?

“That you could be anywhere,” he said with a laugh. “You could be in the backfield. You could be at tight end. You could be split out. You could be anywhere in this offense.”

One thing that won’t carry over from Develin to Gilliam? The neck roll.

“I tried. I tried the Q-collar for a couple games, and it works, but it’s kind of uncomfortable,” Gilliam said. “I don’t like something squeezing my neck, so the neck roll isn’t for me.”

Gilliam was initially a tight end in college at Toledo, and he distinguished himself as a standout special teamer who blocked four kicks as a junior. He eventually found a spot as an undrafted free agent with the Bills in 2020, but that do-anything special teams ethos stuck with him in the NFL — last year, Gilliam was the only player in the NFL with 230 or more offensive snaps and 330 or more special teams snaps.

“In my situation, the way to get a helmet on Sunday was to play special teams,” said Gilliam, who spent six seasons with the Bills. “They take 53 on the roster, only 48 can dress, so you’ve got to bring more to the table than just the fullback. If you can be a core special team guy like I was in Buffalo, that’s big. Just taking special teams as serious as offense or defense would take a lot of young guys a long way in this league.”

With Gilliam serving as a lead back — and Josh Allen’s primary “tush push” helper in short-yardage situations — Buffalo’s rushing attack finished in the top 10 in the NFL in five of his six seasons, and led the league in 2025.

Now with the Patriots, Gilliam is set to clear a path for Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson. Buoyed by the film work with McDaniels and the early connections he’s made with the rest of the roster, Gilliam sounds confident that they’ll be plenty more “fullback days” in Foxborough now that he’s on the roster.

“I love the offense,” said Gilliam. “I think there’s definitely more work to do, but I like where we’re headed.”

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