The NFL For Rookies – Player Positions – Offence

Athletes are key to any sport, so let’s take a look at all player positions in an NFL roster. Squads are split into three sections: offence, defence and special teams.

Our focus will be on the main positions to familiarise you with the most important aspects of enjoying the game. As you watch games, you will immediately understand more of what you are watching. The rest will come with experience and perseverance.

The offence’s main priority is to advance the ball towards the endzone and ultimately, score a touchdown. Here we look at the offence and players from a number of different franchises as our positional examples.

Positions at the Line of Scrimmage

A maximum of seven offensive players are allowed at the line of scrimmage. This usually consists of the Centre, 2x Offensive Guards, 2x Offensive Tackles and a combination of Tight Ends and or Wide Receivers. The rest of the players have to be behind the line of scrimmage.

The diagram shows a three-wide-receiver formation, which means the play-call is likely to be a throw downfield. Now let’s look at each of these positions and understand what they do.

Quarterback (QB)	Centre (C)
Running Back (RB)	Offensive Guard (OG)
Wide Receiver (WR)	Offensive tackle (OT)
Tight End (TE)