American Football Positions (Offense, Defense & More)

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An introductory guide for people new to the NFL

Co-authored by Eric McClure

Last Updated: August 14, 2026 Fact Checked

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Offensive Positions

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Defensive Positions

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Special Teams

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American football is a complicated game, and it doesn’t help that there are so many different types of roles and positions. Unlike games like baseball, soccer, or basketball, where every player could get the ball or score, football positions are extremely specialized, with different positions basically playing their own different mini-games on the field. In this article, we’ll break down each position, on both offense and defense, to cover what they do and where you’ll find them on the field.

Football Positions Explained: A Diagram

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A chart displaying every position on the football field, including where they line up.

Offense revolves around the quarterback (QB), who takes the ball from the center and then either hands it off to a running back (RB), or throws it to a wide receiver (WR) or tight end (TE).
Defense reacts to the offensive setup and scheme. Typically, the middle linebacker (MLB) is in charge of the defense and players are tasked with blocking receivers or blitzing the quarterback.
Special teams is (usually) a combo of offensive and defensive players. They handle kickoffs, punts, and field goals.

Section 1 of 3:

Offensive Football Positions

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They line up under the center on offense.The quarterback is the most important single player on a team. They run the offense, relay play calls from the coach, pass the ball, and then hand the ball off to the running back. A good quarterback can elevate an okay team to greatness, and a bad quarterback can cause an excellent team to falter.^{[1]
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Running back (RB) The running back (sometimes called a “halfback” (HB) lines up behind the quarterback in the backfield. Their primary job is to run the ball when the quarterback hands it off to them. They tend to be one of the faster and stronger players on offense. When they aren’t running the ball, they typically block defenders from reaching the quarterback when they pass.^{[2]
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- Fullback (FB): It's less common for NFL teams to run fullbacks, but they’re common at every other level of play. Fullbacks are typically bigger, slower, and stronger, and they line up in front of the running back to help block for them. They also run the ball, but much more rarely, and usually in short yardage positions.
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Wide receivers line up on the sides of the field, away from the quarterback and offensive line. They’re usually the fastest players on offense. Their job is ot run routes and catch the ball when the quarterback throws it to them.^{[3]
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Tight end is the most versatile player on offense. They typically line up at the end of the offensive line, but sometimes they’ll line up in the backfield like a fullback, or out on the wings like a wide receiver. They split their time between running routes like a wide receiver, and blocking for the quarterback or running back like a lineman. They tend to be big and bulky players, but with some speed and good hands.^{[4]
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Offensive line The offensive line (or “o-line”), refers to the collection of players who line up in front of the quarterback. Their job is all the same—protect the quarterback and running back from attacking defenders. There are three specific roles on the line:^{[5]
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- Center: They snap the ball to the quarterback. They are the general on the offensive line. They call out blocking assignment adjustments, and let the QB know if they spot a potential blitz (attack).
- Guard: There are two guards, left guard (LG) and right guard (RG). They line up on either side of the quarterback, right next to the center. They tend to be bigger and slower than tackles, but often they’re the strongest players on the line.
- Tackle: There are two tackles, a left tackle (LT) and right tackle (RT). They line up on the leftmost and rightmost sides of the line. They tend to be the fastest players on the line, since they have to keep edge rushers from getting around the entire line.

Section 2 of 3:

Defensive Football Positions

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Linebacker (LB) The linebackers line up in the middle of the field behind the defensive line, but in front of the safeties. They tend to be the most versatile players on defense—big enough to rush in and beat an offensive lineman on the blitz, but fast enough to cover a wide receiver or tight end. A defense will run anywhere from 1-4 linebackers depending on their scheme. Linebackers fall into two categories:^{[6]
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- Middle linebacker (MLB): This linebacker is in the direct center of the field, usually lined up over the offense’s center. They are usually the quarterback of the defense in the sense that they’re in charge—they call audibles, make adjustments on the line, and ensure the play call from the coach is communicated to the players.
- Outside linebacker (OLB): These linebackers set up on the left and right of the MLB, and they’re specified as right outside linebacker (ROLB) or left outside linebacker (LOLB). They tend to be just as versatile as the MLB, but they don’t call plays. Often, they’re slightly better at coverage and a bit faster than MLBs, but not always.
Cornerbacks line up across from wide receivers. They tend to be the smallest and fastest players on defense. Their job is, almost exclusively, to guard wide receivers and keep them from catching the ball. They’re the unsung heroes on defense, since you won’t hear their names a lot if they’re doing their job well—the quarterback can’t throw to a wide receiver if a cornerback is blocking them from getting the ball!^{[7]
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Safety (S) The safeties are the players who set up furthest away from the action in the back of the field. They’re sort of the “last ditch effort” defenders who prevent big plays (or keep them from being worse than they are). They tend to be strong, but extremely fast. They spend most plays helping the cornerbacks and blocking receivers. A team may run 1-3 safeties depending on the scheme. There are two types of safety:^{[8]
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- Free safety (FS): These are the smaller, faster safeties who almost always work to protect passes from being completed.
- Strong safety (SS): These are the bigger, stronger safeties who alternate between rushing up to blitz, backing up to help the free safety, or rushing up to help cover the linebackers.
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Defensive Line The defensive line (or “d-line”) refers to the set of players who line up across from the offensive linemen. Their primary job, as a group, is to tackle runners, disrupt the quarterback, and sack the quarterback, if possible. The defensive line is divided into two (or three) positions:^{[9]
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- Tackle (T): There is a left tackle (LT) and a right tackle (RT). They are typically the biggest players on the line and they line up against the offensive guards.
- Defensive End (DE): Defensive ends line up on the extreme ends of the line. They tend to be faster and more nimble than the tackles.
- Edge (EDGE): Technically, an edge (or “edge rusher”) is a type of defensive end, but they have a specific job and people often talk about general defensive ends and edges as different positions. Edge rushers are specifically tasked with sacking the quarterback. They don’t drop back in coverage, they don’t try to stop the run, their job is to get into the backfield and get tackles for losses.

Section 3 of 3:

Special Teams Positions in Football

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Kicker (K) The kicker handles kick-offs. After a team scores (and at the beginning of halves), the kicking team lines up for a kick-off. The kicker’s job is to send the ball careening in the air to give it to the other team as far away from the endzone as possible. Kickers are also responsible for kicking field goals, which are worth 3 points.^{[10]
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- Kicker is a unique role. Kickers that don’t typically do any of the other stuff other players do, like tackle, run, or try to carry the ball. They just kick.
- What is “special teams?” Special teams refers to the players who take the field for kick-offs, punts, and field goals. That’s it. They serve a highly specialized function and are only on the field for a few plays a game.
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Punter (P) The punter…well, punts! A punt occurs when the offense doesn’t want to try and go for it on 4th down, so they kick a punt to send the ball as far away from the endzone as possible.
- The punter and kicker on a team are often the same person, but not always. Some teams will have separate kickers and punters, but (especially at lower levels of play) they’re often one player who handles all of the kicking.
Usually a backup running back or wide receiver, the kick returner gets to be the star of the show sometimes. Their job is to catch kicks and try to run them back to the other side of the field as far as they possibly can. When they score, it’s often a huge momentum shift.^{[11]
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Remaining Special Teams Unit There are other minor positions on special teams, but they’re fringe enough that we won’t cover them in depth. Generally speaking, the other players you see on the field during special teams—including the offensive and defensive lines—are backup players from other positions. For example, a second string wide receiver might be a gunner, and a backup linebacker might be a lineman on field goals. Here are a few of the key niche positions:^{[12]
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- Long Snapper (LS): The long snapper is usually a backup center who snaps the ball on field goals.
- Holder (H): Holders hold the ball for kicks. They’re normally a backup quarterback.
- Gunner (n/a): On punts, the gunner is the defensive player who tries to run down the field as fast as possible to tackle the returner as soon as they catch the ball. They’re typically backup wide receivers and cornerbacks.
- Jammer (n/a): The jammers are the players who try to guard the gunners and keep them from tackling the returner. They’re typically played by backup safeties, wide receivers, and cornerbacks.