November 30, 2024 2 MIN READ

Report: VanSumeren Out For Season

Second-Year LB/FB Sustained Knee Injury

by Geoff Mosher

Eagles second-year linebacker Ben VanSumeren, a core special-teamer who occasionally moonlighted on offense at fullback, was reportedly lost for the rest of the season after suffering an injury in practice Friday.

Citing sources, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that VanSumeren injured his knee.

#Eagles LB Ben VanSumeren suffered a season-ending knee injury at practice on Friday based upon the initial diagnosis, NFL sources said. Tough break for a special teams contributor who had also carved out a role as a fullback.

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) November 29, 2024

GETTY IMAGES: Second-year LB/FB Ben VanSumeren had been a contributor on offense and special teams.

VanSumeren, a 2023 undrafted free agent who played nine games his rookie year, had been a critical special-teamer this season but also had carved a role as a fullback in mainly 21 personnel packages (two running backs, one tight end) as the Eagles have worked around some depth issues at tight end.

He helped with a critical block against the Giants on a Saquon Barkley 41-yard run and had played 22 total offensive snaps along with 213 special teams snaps, which represents 75 percent of special teams snaps. He played five offensive snaps in last Sunday’s game against the Rams.

Oddly enough, the former Michigan State linebacker hadn’t played a single snap of defense in 2024.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

About The Author

Geoff Mosher NFL Insider/Analyst

Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.