ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions running game will look different in 2018, and not just because of the names on the backs of the jerseys.

Yes, they signed LeGarrette Blount in free agency. Yes, they traded up for Kerryon Johnson in the second round of the draft. And, probably, those guys will get the bulk of the carries when the season opens Sept. 10 against the Jets.

But there has been a philosophical change to the running game as well. That was obvious when the club used its seventh-round pick to draft a fullback, Nick Bawden, just one year after they scrapped the fullback from the offense all together. And nothing's changed even after Bawden was placed on injured reserve with a torn ACL.

They've moved Nick Bellore from linebacker to fullback full time. He's been with the starters throughought the spring and much of training camp. And it looks like he could have a sizable role in this new-look running attack.

"From a fullback standpoint, or even just trying to put a second back in the back field, it's something that always gives teams a lot of difficulty," Lions coach Matt Patricia said. "When you can line up with a guy in the backfield and then insert him into the defense from that standpoint, create an extra gap or extra space, it always adds another level of complexity to it to try to defend. So we're certainly going to keep everything moving from that standpoint."

Patricia would know. The Patriots never finished outside the top 10 in scoring defense in his six years calling the shots. So he knows a thing or two about what defenses like, what's hard to handle -- and now he's applying those lessons to the Lions offense.

Among the schematic changes, most notable has been the two-back sets. The Lions ran just 34 such plays last year, which was 23rd in the league. New England, by comparison, ran 369.

And the Lions have featured the looks prominently throughout spring ball and the first six practices of training camp. That's included some looks with two tailbacks, although more often Bellore has been back there as a lead blocker. And after spending so many years on the other side of those collisions, Bellore is bringing an interesting perspective to the running game.

"It's really an attitude play, when the fullbacks and linebackers are hitting each other," Bellore said. "It's low-man wins and all those cliches, but it's kind of true in those scenarios.

"I think how they're thinking, and know how they play stuff. And hopefully I can relay that message to the running backs, because there are some things the linebackers do, and we can take advantage of it. If I can relay that to them, hopefully it can make them a little better."

Bellore has had something of a strange career. He went undrafted out of Central Michigan in 2011, yet here he is still standing all these years later -- and he's done it while playing positions other than the one he's actually listed at.

He's a linebacker in your roster, but has played there only sparingly in his seven seasons. Instead, he's stuck around for so long because of his ability on special teams, and that's where he made his initial impact when he signed with Detroit last year.

But then coaches asked Bellore to begin splitting his time at fullback. He wound up appearing in six games there, compared to seven at linebacker. It was difficult for him at first, especially when it came to learning the offense.

Players say learning the playbook is a lot like learning a foreign language, which isn't exactly Bellore's thing.

"I probably got a C-minus in French in high school," he said with a laugh.

"Sometimes on defense, you can hear it and know exactly what it is from the first couple words. But when the quarterback is in there and giving you the play, you don't know how long it could actually be said for. And you have to pay attention until the last word, because it could completely change your job. So really just dialing into the terminology on offense, and what they call things. Football is football, but defensively, we call things differently than they call on offense. So that took some getting used to."

But Bellore played well. He was an effective blocker, and even caught a touchdown pass from Matthew Stafford in a December game against Baltimore. Now a year later, he's made the transition full time, and will play a key role in helping Detroit retool a short-yardage running game that ranked last in the league in 2017.

"I was super excited because I was a backup linebacker my whole life, and it was nice to get an opportunity to get out on the field," he said. "They felt I could help the team and I thought it was something I could excel at. I was super excited when they asked me to do it and I'm glad it has blossomed into something this year."

Does he ever miss playing defense?

"A little bit," he said with a grin, "but I still get to hit."