Defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas got some run at fullback on Sunday.
When Jets defensive lineman Lawrence Thomas lined up at fullback early in the teams match up with the Dolphins two weeks ago, nobody knew if it was a gimmick, a wild experiment, or a tryout.
Whatever you want to call it, the Jets obviously liked what they saw as Thomas got more looks at fullback again the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars and threw a few key blocks to spring Bilal Powell free to break away and pick up some big gainers.
Now, it appears to be a full-time gig.
Thomas emerged at practice in Florham Park today wearing number 44, a switch from his defensive line number of 97.
A former college fullback at Michigan State before switching to the D-line, acting as a lead blocker isn’t entirely new for Thomas. If his early results are any indicator as to how he’ll play moving forward, the Jets may have one heck of a 285 lb battering ram filling the role of lead blocker better than anyone the Jets have had since Tony Richardson.