Rhett Ellison Undergoing Lots Of Change

Written by Sam Ekstrom

Rhett Ellison saw his jersey number change from 40 to 85 in the offseason. Forty is more of a fullback’s number, while any digit in the 80s indicates a wide receiver or tight end, which Ellison presumes he is becoming. But strangely, he’s not exactly sure.

According to Ellison, the jersey switch wasn’t his decision – one of many things happening around the third-year player that is out of his control.

Who knew that a number change could act as such a microcosm for the state of a player’s career?

Ellison was drafted as a fullback out of USC, but he played both fullback and tight end for the Trojans. The Vikings used him in both roles during his first two seasons. The stats website pro-football-reference.com lists Ellison as a fullback in his player profile but shows his position as “fb/te” in all ensuing references.

The bottom line is that Ellison is versatile, which makes him valuable. The poor guy just doesn’t get a real position.

“They’re still mixing me around,” said Ellison, “not at fullback, just the ‘F’ position. The ‘F’ position kind of does a little bit of everything, so they’re still working me in and out of that stuff.”

The common thread between tight end and fullback is that both are vital blocking positions. The fullback is often the running back’s lead blocker or the quarterback’s last line of defense, while the tight end is frequently an extension of the offensive line, trying to clear running lanes and keep the Front 7 out of the backfield. Ellison is a fantastic blocker and has never been a heralded pass catcher. He only made 53 career grabs in four seasons at USC and has just 12 catches in two seasons with Minnesota.

The challenge for Ellison is adjusting from a fullback mindset to a tight end mindset on the fly. As a fullback, his number will rarely, if ever, be called to carry or catch the ball. But as a tight end running routes, he can be used as a pass-catching target, especially in Norv Turner’s tight end friendly offense.

“It’s a completely different mentality from backfield blocking to on-the-line-of-scrimmage blocking,” said Ellison. “Running routes from the backfield as opposed to on the line of scrimmage. Everything has its own little technique and tendencies, so it’s just a lot of different stuff to try and master.”

Turner relishes using two tight ends, so when John Carlson was released in March, Ellison was the best in-house option to fill the void. When using two tight ends, Turner rarely has two men besides the quarterback in the backfield. With former Pro Bowler Jerome Felton already under contract – a guy who Ellison considers the best lead blocker in the NFL – and running backs Adrian Peterson, Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon also on the roster, it made sense to use Ellison’s blocking prowess at a different position.

“They need me to do everything a tight end does,” said Ellison.

So… he is a tight end?

“Norv likes to move everybody around, so it really depends on the gameplan and who we’re playing week to week,” explained Ellison.

Okay.

Instead of trying to definitively pin down the position that Topps should put on Ellison’s football card, it’s easiest to think of him as a hybrid. He was a hybrid at USC, he was a hybrid through two seasons in Minnesota and he’s going to continue to be a hybrid under Turner and Mike Zimmer, regardless of what his jersey number might indicate. 

Needless to say, there aren’t too many players who specialize at two positions. To make matters even a little foggier, Ellison’s new position coach, Kevin Stefanski, is in his first year as a tight ends coach after spending five seasons as assistant quarterbacks coach. He replaced the highly-respected Jimmie Johnson, who was one of the casualties from Leslie Frazier’s staff.

New number, new coaching staff, new responsibilities. It’s easy to understand why Ellison’s job as a kind-of-fullback-kind-of-tight-end is difficult to define.

“I’m still trying to learn the role right now,” said Ellison. “I’m still trying to master what [Turner]’s just putting in front of me. Once I get that down, I’ll let you know.”