BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The age of the fullback is far from over. Reggie Gilliam proved that with two touchdowns on Saturday against the Chicago Bears.
"I couldn't be more happy for him," quarterback Mitchell Trubisky said. "He's just one of those guys who works his tail off. So to see him get into the end zone twice today was really awesome."
"Just what I would expect. I mean, Reggie's a real serious young man," head coach Sean McDermott said. "He's played tight end, he's played running back, he's played fullback, he plays special teams, and helps us there as well. So I'm happy to see him have success."
The feeling between Gilliam and the Bills is mutual. Before his first touchdown, Gilliam paved the way on a toss to Zack Moss that moved Buffalo all the way to the one-yard line. The efficiency of the running game has been a point of emphasis for the Bills; whatever role Gilliam plays, he's happy to do it.
"I love seeing the success of the team in whatever it may be," Gilliam said. "Whether it's running the ball, or passing the ball. But I do love seeing that we're running the ball efficiently so that we can control the tempo of games more during the season."
Buffalo's swiss army knife had more touches against Chicago alone than he did in his entire rookie season. Two fullback dives on back to back drives helped the Bills double down on their lead against the Bears. By the end of the game, he led Buffalo in rushing attempts.
Gilliam had already found pay dirt as a Bill in the 2020 regular season. But it's been a while since the Toledo product scored twice in one game. He said the last time that happened, he was in high school.
"I just do what they tell me," Gilliam said. "Going into the game, I didn't realize I was going to be playing so much running back there at the end. So I was just going out there and playing football, like I always did as a kid."
The Bills' fullback celebrated his 24th birthday on Friday. His present may have come a day late, but two touchdowns and a win is the perfect celebration. Buffalo wraps up the 2021 preseason at home on the 28th against the Green Bay Packers.
