Football time is here once more. As the season comes back around and excited fans pack stadiums and crowd around their televisions to cheer on their favorite teams, you may ask yourself: “What are all the positions in football?”  We understand it can be hard to keep up with all the fast-paced action and various football positions — especially as a newcomer. American football (also known as gridiron football, contact football, or simply just ‘football’ in the United States) is a complex game with a lot of moving pieces so, it isn’t always easy know which positions in football are doing what at any given time while on the field. If you’ve ever found yourself looking for an ultimate guide to American football positions — or just need a refresher on football positions before the next game, you’ve come to the right place.

Football Positions Explained: Offense

During a football game, the offense is the team with possession of the ball. Their ultimate goal is to try and score points, either by kicking a field goal (we’ll talk about that later) or reaching the endzone and scoring what is known as a touchdown. To do this, the offense must advance the ball down field without turning it over to the defense. The offense has four tries (known as downs), to advance the ball at least 10 yards. If the ball is successfully advanced past the 1st down marker, the offense will gain another set of downs. Due to the complex nature of running plays and attempting to score, every offensive football position must be on the same page. To see how that works, keep reading for a full breakdown on offensive positions.

Quarterback

When you think of offensive positions in football, the first one that might come to mind is the quarterback. On the offensive side and in American football positions, the quarterback is usually considered the leader of the team as he is responsible for knowing all the plays and directing the entire offense. On most plays, the quarterback will receive the ball from the center in an action known as the ‘snap’. Depending on the play, the quarterback can attempt to advance the ball a variety of ways, including throwing it down field to an eligible receiver (known as a pass), handing the ball to a running back, or keeping it himself and running with it.

Center

For the quarterback to receive the ball, he must first take the ball from the center during the snap. Like the quarterback, the center is another leader on the offense, usually the point of direction and captain for the other linemen. A play cannot be started until the center snaps the ball, so it is up to the center to hear the correct snap count and make sure all his linemen know their assignments beforehand.

Linemen

The linemen are comprised of tackles and guards on both sides of the center and make up the rest of the offensive line, five men in total including the center. Their main objective is blocking at the moment of the snap, preventing the defense from reaching the ball carrier. Usually the strongest and some of the most explosive players on the field, a solid offensive line is a hallmark of a great football team. 

Running back

In American football, offensive plays can be conducted by running or passing. Running plays, also known as rushes or rush attempts, are usually conducted by the running back. A quick and powerful speedster, the running back usually receives the ball from the quarterback via a handoff or toss, and then is tasked with running up-field, cutting through the defense. Running backs come in different variations including tailbacks or fullbacks, each one with different uses in different types of plays — however their mission is the same; all are expected to get down field if the ball is handed to them. (If speed is your thing, check out our article on speed training drills engineered to increase your speed on the field.)

Tight End

Moving down the offensive line, the tight end is considered a hybrid of offensive lineman and wide receiver. Usually taller and faster than most linemen but bigger and stronger than most receivers, the tight end can go out for pass routes or block downfield for receivers or running backs depending on the play. Due to their size, they are usually utilized in short yardage or goal line packages.  

Receiver

As mentioned earlier, the ball can be advanced either by running or passing. If the ball is thrown by the quarterback in a passing attempt, the target is usually a wide receiver. Wide receivers are players with incredible speed and hand-eye coordination that can line up on the inside or outside of the formation, usually flanking the offensive formation on both sides. There are usually three to four different receivers on the field during a play, each with their own route to run and responsibilities on the play. When a receiver catches the ball, their job is to get downfield to gain yards for the offense.  

Football Positions Explained: Defense

In opposition to the offense, we have the defense. The defense is the other team on the field, working towards the goal of trying to stop the offense from gaining yards and eventually scoring. During a game, the two competing teams switch sides depending on who has possession of the ball, so every team has an offensive and defensive unit. The defense can stop the advancement of the ball and thwart the offensive plays in a variety of ways, however the most common is through tackling. Any defensive player can tackle a ball carrier, forcing him to the ground and stopping his momentum, thus rendering the play over. Defenses are defined by speed and aggression so all the players in defensive positions must be a highly cohesive unit in order to generate stops and turnovers.  

Nose Guard

The nose guard or defensive center is one of the centerpieces of the defensive line, a unit whose whole goal is get past the offensive line and disrupt the offensive play. The nose guard usually lines up across from the center and tries to power his way through when the ball is snapped.  

Defensive Lineman

Along with the nose guard, the defensive line is made up of other players all with the same goal, making a defensive stop. These positions on the defensive line are usually known as defensive tackles. Defensive tackles line up opposite of the offensive line, usually to shoot through gaps (spaces in-between the offensive linemen) to get into the offensive backfield quicker.  

Defensive End

Defensive ends, also known as edge rushers, are defensive linemen who line up on the edge of the defensive line. They have a variety of responsibilities depending on the play called, ranging from keeping outside leverage to setting edge blitzes.

Linebacker

Speaking of blitzes, linebackers are the second line in a defensive formation. Usually there are three linebackers on the field, each with a different assignment. The middle linebacker usually calls plays for the defense, signaling which blitz to do or which cover to drop into. The outside linebackers relay this information to defensive backs, and upon the snapping of the ball, they sink into coverage or blitz the offense.  

Corner

A corner is a type of defensive back that lines up across from the wide receiver. Considered one of the hardest positions in football, the corner’s job is to break up or intercept passes thrown at the receiver. Corners are usually very quick and expected to cover large distances in short amounts of time.  

Safety

Along with the corner, a safety is another defensive back. Again, their job is to prevent pass completions and the advancement of the ball. Safeties are the last line of defense and often cover deep pass attempts or come up to make a stop when a ball carrier has breached through the defense. Safeties are known for their football IQ and speed, allowing them to read offenses from afar and adjust their positioning in order to stop plays from happening.  

Football Positions Explained: Special Teams

Special teams are specialty situational units that take the field on a variety of occasions. Each team will send out a special unit to oppose the other.  Special teams include punt and punt return, kickoff and kickoff return, onside kick and hands team, and field goal and field goal prevention. Special teams plays occur after the ball has been scored or a change of possession is in order. Most positions from offense and defense carry over to special teams, however there are a few key positions worth noting.  

Kicker

The kicker is one of the most prolific special teams positions and in some cases, can determine a team’s entire season. Kickers come out during kickoffs, field goals, and PAT (point after touchdown) attempts. While all these situations are different, a kicker’s job is still pretty simple: kick the ball to its desired location.  

Kick Returner

In kickoff situations, a kick returner is someone who catches a kicked ball from the kicker. The kick returner plays for the opposite team from the kicker, so once the ball touches his hands, a change of possession has occurred. Kick returners can call a fair catch to avoid being hit at the moment a catch is made, or they can attempt to catch and run with the ball for better yards, all while avoiding the defense.  

Long Snapper

The long snapper is similar to the center but needs to be able to snap the ball upwards of 15 yards for punt or field goal situations. The long snapper must accurately get the ball to the kicker or holder every time or risk an error that could lead to a turnover or missed scoring opportunity.  

Punter

If an offense fails to covert their downs, they usually punt the ball away to get better field position for their defense. A punt is a shorter placed kick, different than a kickoff kick. A punter’s job is to get the ball as deep into the other team’s territory as possible while avoiding a touch back. Punters receive the ball from a long snapper and only take one or two steps before kicking the ball off.  

Punt Returner

Like the kickoff returner, a punt returner is a position opposing the punting team. His job is to field the ball by calling a fair catch or catching the ball and running with it to try and gain more yards.  

Pick Your Play 

Even though American football positions can be hard to keep track of with all the action on the field, the game gets easier to understand once you know which teams are doing what and who is on the field in any given moment. As you gear up to watch your favorite team this season or lace up your cleats (or clean them off from your latest game) to take the field for yourself and try your hand at one of the many football positions, feel free to look back at this article if you need a refresher. Regardless on how you plan to experience football season, remember to have fun, stay safe, and most importantly compete, cheer, and play like a champion.

Illustrations by Melcher Oosterman