Tight end

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.

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.

[2] 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.

[3] Starting in 1980, the Air Coryell offense began using tight end Kellen Winslow in wide receiver-type routes.

[7] 2000s Head coach Jon Gruden referred to such multi-dimensional tight ends as "jokers", calling Winslow the first ever in the NFL.

Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates, who both played basketball in college, pushed the position toward wide receiver speed and power forward strength and wingspan.

[citation needed] 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.

[14] 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.

In the National Football League (NFL), the tight end is larger, stronger, and slower than a wide receiver, and therefore able to block more effectively.

Tight ends are used as blockers to protect the quarterback during passing plays, to open holes in the line, and downfield to tie up linebackers and defensive backs.

[18][19] 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 team cannot find both in a single player they often rotate between those who are stronger in one role better than the other depending on the type of skill required by given plays.

The decline of the fullback as a rushing position has seen the occasional deployment of tight ends as ball carriers, either aligned in the backfield or out of the slot in a reverse or sweep.

[citation needed] Most tight ends are large in size, with an average height of 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) and a weight exceeding 254 lb (115 kg).