Among the most exciting prospects of last year's rookie class in New England was fullback Brock Lampe, who looked well on his way to carving out a unique role in the Patriots' offense, one that Josh McDaniels was known for utilizing throughout his career.
The team hadn't really taken advantage of the fullback position since James Develin retired in 2019, but with McDaniels back on the sideline, it didn't take long to bring Lampe in, who went undrafted in 2025. Fans were excited to see what he was going to do with the familiar playcaller and Drake Maye, only for Lampe to suffer a season-ending injury in the summer.
The optimism about his fit in the offense this season picked up as soon as the offseason kicked off, and while it's still there, it does look like his standing has taken a massive hit with the free agency signing of Reggie Gilliam.
To say that Lampe has a steep hill to climb to earn not only a role on game day, but a spot on the roster, would be putting it lightly.
Brock Lampe is already taking a backseat to the Patriots' latest fullback
When Mike Vrabel was hired last offseason, he had a lot of roster issues to address through free agency and the draft. Fortunately, Eliot Wolf redeemed himself with an impressive 2025 draft class and far better spending in free agency, all of which produced even undrafted stars in the making.
One of the most discussed was Lampe, who made headlines over the summer for standing out at the start of training camp. He was competing with a few other overlooked additions, like RB Lan Larison and WR Efton Chism III, only to be sidelined by an injury in late July.
Given that McDaniels loves having a fullback on his roster, even having former Patriot Jakob Johnson follow him to the Raiders when he became their head coach, it was fair to assume that Lampe had a path to a roster spot this year, as long as he maintained his impressive performance from last year.
But that's now in doubt with Gilliam signing a three-year contract early in free agency, as he is an established player at the position and one that Bills fans are still upset to see go, especially since he's still in the division.
There's no doubt that the veteran will be the FB1 on any play call involving a fullback, so that leaves Lampe with nothing to do. Perhaps they will try to use him in other ways we haven't seen yet, but it's not looking good for his future in Foxboro.
If he can come out with a purpose this summer and catch the eyes of the coaches again, maybe he can carve a role for himself on the 2026 team. It won't be easy with Gilliam around now, so we'll have to see what Lampe can and will do.