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The fullback is back, baby! At least in Los Angeles it is, where Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh has made a unique, Harbaugh-esque decision regarding the oft-ignored position. Rather than devoting a roster spot to one player for the position, Harbaugh and the Chargers are calling on one of their young defensive lineman to pull double-duty.
“In typical Jim Harbaugh fashion: the Chargers changed the number of 6-foot-4, 296-pound defensive tackle Scott Matlock this past week from No. 99 to No. 44 and now list him as their starting fullback,” NFL insider Adam Schefter tweeted on Sunday afternoon. “Matlock is expected to play both ways in Sunday’s regular-season opener vs. the Raiders, fullback and defensive tackle. Harbaugh has said that Matlock is in such good condition, he could play a doubleheader if needed.”
Scott Matlock was a 6th-round pick out of Boise State in the 2023 NFL Draft who played sparingly for the Chargers during his rookie season. While at Boise State, Matlock played some tight end in addition to defensive tackle, and clearly, Jim Harbaugh took note of what the 24-year-old could offer his offense. Over the summer, Harbaugh heaped praise on Matlock, and seemingly hinting that more could be put on his plate in his second season.
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“He's just all about his business, all about the work, all about the team,” Harbaugh said about Matlock during a media availability session back in June, per Omar Navarro of Chargers.com. “A lot of what he does, like a lot of leaders, it's not about what they say, it's about what they do. What you do speaks so loudly that you can't even hear what you're saying.”
As has been the case with every Jim Harbaugh coached team dating back to his time at Stanford — including the reigning National Champion Michigan Wolverines — it's expected that the Chargers will be among the league leaders in rushing attempts this season.
