The tight end ( TE) is an offensive position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football. It is a hybrid that combines the characteristics and roles of both an and a receiver. As part of the receiver corps, they play inside the flanks (tight), contrasted with the split end who plays outside the flanks (wide). Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be effective blockers. On the other hand, unlike offensive linemen, they are eligible receivers and potent weapons in a team's offensive schemes.
The tight end's role in any given offense depends on the preferences and philosophy of the head coach, offensive coordinator, and overall team dynamic. In some systems, the tight end will merely act as a sixth offensive lineman, rarely going out for passes. Other systems use the tight end primarily as a receiver, frequently taking advantage of the tight end's size to create mismatches in the defensive secondary. Many coaches will often have one tight end who specializes in blocking on running plays while using a tight end with better pass-catching skills in passing situations.
Offensive formations may have as few as zero or as many as three tight ends at one time.
NFL tight ends in 2024 make an average of $8 million per year; some of the top tight ends make around $17 million per year. This position is amongst the lowest paid in the NFL.
History
Origins
With the relaxation of substitution rules in professional football from the 1940s and after 1964 in the college game, a two-platoon system of offense and defense became the norm, with most players active on only one side of the ball. With the advent of the T-formation, double halfback sets quickly became a thing of the past, with a hybrid running back–receiver known as the "flanker back" positioned outside The halfback and fullback, "flanking" them. The receivers on each end of the line of scrimmage retained their historic name, "ends".
By the start of the 1960s many pro clubs had begun to position the flanker back far to the outside, just behind the line of scrimmage, part of what Washington Redskins coach Bill McPeak characterized as a "three ends" system."Washington Redskins: All Will Be Bright and Shiny — Except After Kickoffs," Pro Football 1961. New York: Fawcett Publications, 1961; p. 35. The receiver spread out on numerically inferior "weak" side of the formation was commonly known as the "split end"; the end lining up to the same side as the flanker, positioned close to the blocking linemen, became known as the "tight end". This tight end position, developed in the 1950s, embraced both blocking and receiving functions and flourished as part of the specialization of the two-platoon era.
Greater use of the tight end as a receiver in the cutting edge offenses of the 1960s led to the emergence of the first stars at the position, including Mike Ditka of the Chicago Bears, Jackie Smith of the St. Louis Cardinals, and John Mackey of the Baltimore Colts.
The modern position
In the 1990s, Shannon Sharpe's athletic prowess as a route-runner helped change the way tight ends were used by teams. Consistently double-covered as a receiver, he became the first tight end in NFL history to rack up over 10,000 career receiving yards. Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who both played basketball in college, pushed the position toward wide receiver speed and power forward strength and wingspan. At 6'6" Rob Gronkowski brought height, setting single-season tight end records in 2011 with 17 touchdowns—breaking Gates's and Vernon Davis's record of 13—and 1,327 receiving yards, surpassing Winslow's record of 1,290. Jimmy Graham that season also passed Winslow with 1,310 yards. Six of the NFL's 15 players with the most receptions that year were tight ends, the most in NFL history. Previous seasons usually had at most one or two ranked in the top.
Tight ends generally hit their peak between the ages of 25 and 30. A study conducted by Apex Fantasy Leagues indicated 69.1 percent of peak seasons fall within that range.
Tight ends in other leagues
However, in Canadian football, tight ends are, in general, no longer used professionally in the CFL, but are still used at the college level in U Sports. Tony Gabriel is a former tight end in Canadian football. There remain some tight ends in use at university level football; Antony Auclair, formerly a tight end for the Laval Rouge et Or, was a contender to be selected in the 2017 CFL Draft or possibly receive a tryout in the NFL. He was drafted by the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2017, but instead signed with the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent that same year.
National Tight Ends Day
Roles
Blocking
Historically, a single tight end was used, typically placed on the right side of the offensive line. In the early 2000s, two tight end formations began to be used with more frequency. Double trouble: Cowboys' Parcells jumping on two-tight-end trend, September 20, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2010. Too Deep Zone: Running with Multiple Tight Ends by Mike Tanier, October 20, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2010. Specialty plays may deploy 3- or 4-tight-end sets in "heavy" or "jumbo" packages, usually to block in short-yardage situations or to sow confusion in the defensive backfield with such an unusual formation. When a blocker larger than a tight end is desired without sacrificing the player's ability to catch a pass the position is sometimes filled by an offensive lineman who reports to the referee that he is an eligible receiver, referred to colloquially as a "tackle eligible".
Receiving
At the extreme end the receiving spectrum are 'hybrid' tight ends that are drafted primarily for their pass-catching abilities. Often, these players have near-wide receiver speed, coupled with greater overall size and strength. Plays utilizing their assets are designed to capitalize on their combination of size, speed, and wingspan, at times spreading them out on the line like wide-receivers, off the line in the slot, or putting them in motion in the backfield.
Rushing
Physical attributes
Jersey numbers
See also
- American football positions
Further reading
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