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What Does an NFL Offensive Tackle Do? Positions, Responsibilities, and Skills

NFL offensive tackles line up outside the guards and block to protect the quarterback and create running lanes. Their exact assignments depend on the play and scheme.
Length4 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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An NFL offensive tackle is one of the two linemen on the outside of the offensive line, positioned beyond the guards. Tackles block pass rushers to help protect the quarterback and block defenders to create or preserve running lanes. Their precise assignment depends on the play and the offense’s scheme.

Where an offensive tackle lines up

A standard offensive line has two tackles, one at each end, with a guard between each tackle and the center. The tackles’ outside alignment puts them in position to meet edge rushers in pass protection and defenders near the edge of a run play. The NFL Football Operations glossary describes the position and its basic responsibilities.

A tackle is an offensive blocker, not a defensive tackler and not a pass catcher. The five linemen work as a unit: the tackle’s assignment connects to what the guards and center are doing, and a tight end may provide an additional blocker or release into a route, depending on the play.

What tackles do on passing plays

In pass protection, a tackle’s central job is to block a pass rusher approaching from the edge so that the quarterback has room to make a throw. This is not simply a matter of standing in front of a defender. The tackle must respond to the rusher’s speed and movement while carrying out the protection call alongside the rest of the line. Other blockers, including a tight end or running back, can also be involved in the protection, but the exact arrangement varies by formation and play.

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Edge rushers can threaten the outside before changing direction toward the quarterback. NFL.com’s pass-protection explainer highlights the footwork and balance needed to handle that movement, including maintaining a wide base against an inside move. A tackle who reaches too far or loses balance can give a rusher a path through the block.

What tackles do on running plays

On a run, tackles block defenders to help open a lane for the running back or keep a defender from closing an existing lane. The play design determines whom they block and how they move; there is no single tackle technique used on every run.

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Zone

In a zone concept, linemen move laterally in the direction of the play and work together to block defenders. Depending on the design, a backside tackle may be responsible for the backside defensive end. The block must fit the movement of the line rather than be treated as an isolated matchup.

Power

In one example of a power concept, the backside tackle steps inside and hinges back toward the outside to protect the backside. Other linemen may block down while a guard pulls toward the point of attack. The tackle’s block helps keep defenders from disrupting the run from behind or outside.

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Counter

Counter plays can ask a tackle to block down or move through the hole as part of the design. The tackle must read the guard’s path and react to the defense while staying coordinated with the rest of the blocking scheme.

NFL.com’s run-blocking concepts explainer gives zone, power, and counter examples involving tackles. These are illustrations, not a complete playbook: teams and plays can assign different movements and targets.

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Skills and technique the position demands

Tackles need to combine physical strength with the ability to move and stay balanced. NFL.com’s draft analysis identifies size, strength, balance, body control, and quickness as traits that help tackles handle athletic pass rushers. The job also calls for:

  • Footwork and balance: to adjust to a rusher’s speed or change of direction without losing position.
  • A stable base: to resist an inside move while maintaining control of the block.
  • Awareness: to understand the protection or run concept and coordinate with nearby blockers.
  • Lateral mobility and reaction: to move with a run concept, recognize a teammate’s path, or respond to a defender.

The NFL’s Way to Play coaching resource organizes player development around stance, approach, and finish. Its coaching guidance emphasizes posture—such as keeping the head up and knees bent—and cautions against using the head or helmet as a coaching cue. This is a teaching framework, not a checklist of formal NFL roster requirements.

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How left tackle differs from right tackle

Left and right tackles line up at opposite ends of the line and share the same broad responsibilities: pass protection and run blocking. Their assignments depend on the play, not just on which side they occupy.

Comparison Left tackle Right tackle
Alignment At the left end of the offensive line, outside the left guard. At the right end of the offensive line, outside the right guard.
Quarterback sight line Conventionally called the blind side for a right-handed quarterback, who usually faces away from that side while preparing to throw. Not conventionally the blind side for a right-handed quarterback.
Play assignment Pass and run blocks are determined by the protection or run concept. Pass and run blocks are determined by the protection or run concept.

The historic emphasis on left tackle is connected to the blind side of a right-handed quarterback. NFL.com notes that most quarterbacks are right-handed and discusses the value placed on protecting that side. That context does not mean every left tackle is a team’s best blocker, that every offense assigns the same priorities, or that right tackles mainly block on running plays. The quarterback’s handedness and the play design both matter.

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