One of the most likely Wisconsin UDFAs to land on the active roster after the preseason was Jackson Acker. He seemed like a shoo-in to get to Week 1 of the regular season, and yet he's been released after Week 1 of the preseason. Though there may be way bigger implications than just underperformance or something on Acker's end.
According to Ralph Ventre of Buffalo Bills on SI.com, the Bills may be moving away from the fullback position completely, and Acker is the first sign of this reversal of direction. "It remains to be seen how interested the Bills are in keeping a fullback in its repertoire this season. Saturday's snap counts are not overly encouraging for fullback enthusiasts."
Acker was in a fullback battle with Ben VanSumeren, a former linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles but converted to fullback. He was leading the snap counts and first-team reps, but it was a true competition, and one many beat writers and fans expected Acker to actually win. Which is why there is a surprise to the release and one that Ventre thinks could signal the demise of the fullback role. Which, if there is a major reduction, having two fullbacks is unnecessary and overkill.
Jackson Acker had a clear path to the Buffalo Bills active roster, now he's looking for a new home
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Having VanSumeren over Acker could also signal special team depth more than fullback competition. It's a weird change of direction, as Acker was brought in with basically a 50/50 shot to make the roster and high praise from another former Badger, Jim Leonhard. In the second week of camp, he was gushing about him, talking about the time he took a touchdown to the house, the outlook for Buffalo: "He's big, he's physical, he's got some tools."
It's hard to know what exactly went into the thinking for the Bills, but it does seem as if the plug was pulled sooner than necessary, and it could signal a bigger change in the Bills' offense. For Badger fans, they are going to be looking for Acker to land on his feet with another fullback run offense. Which could be the problem; there aren't as many fullback offenses as you would think in the NFL. In 2024, it was reported that only 15 teams had roster spots for a fullback.
Buffalo was a known fullback offense and ran out 2025 fullback Reggie Gilliam about 22% of the time last season. So to see the Bills depart from the fullback, or at least reduce it or even move to a hybrid idea, is not good news for players like Acker.
One intriguing idea brought up via the Lance Mason release from the Seahawks is that Seattle could be a player in the fullback market. The Seahawks cut Mason to try to find another fullback option, signing Brock Lampe. Lampe is another rookie fullback from Northern Illinois. Would the Seahawks explore bringing Acker now that they are clearly shopping the fullback market? That would be an interesting addition. Stay tuned, as Buffalo just released Acker today (August 17).
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