In American football, a back is a player who plays off of the

line of scrimmage In gridiron football, a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line (across the width of the field) beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun. Its location is based on the spot where the ball is placed after the end o ...

(as opposed to a lineman). Historically, the term "back" was used to describe multiple positions on offense and defense, although more descriptive and specific position naming is now common. Thus, "back" can refer to positions including: *

Cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turno ...

, a member of the defensive team that primary defends wide receivers *

Defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, a member of the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage *

Dimeback In American football, a dimeback is a cornerback or safety who serves as the sixth defensive back (fourth cornerback, third safety; and in some rare cases, a fourth safety) on defense. The third cornerback or safety on defense is known as a nicke ...

, a cornerback or safety who serves as the sixth defensive back * Fullback, one of the two running back positions, along with the halfback * Halfback, one of the two running back positions, along with the fullback * H-back, an offensive position that lines up similarly to a tight end, but is set back from the line of scrimmage *

Linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, pla ...

, a member of the defensive team that is positioned approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage *

Nickelback Nickelback is a Canadian rock band formed in 1995 in Hanna, Alberta. It is composed of guitarist and lead vocalist Chad Kroeger, guitarist, keyboardist and backing vocalist Ryan Peake, bassist Mike Kroeger, and drummer Daniel Adair. It went ...

, a cornerback or safety who serves as the additional defensive back in a nickel defense *

Quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ameri ...

, a member of the offensive team that lines up directly behind the offensive line and receives the snap of the ball at the beginning of a play *

Running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

, a member of the offensive backfield whose primary role is to receive handoffs from the quarterback to run with the ball * Singleback, an offensive formation that only requires one running back *

Slotback Slotback, sometimes referred to as an A-back or slot receiver, is a position in gridiron football. The "slot" is the area between the last offensive lineman on either side of the center and the wide receiver on that side. A player who lines up ...

, a wide receiver on the offensive team that is positioned in the "slot" (located between the last offensive lineman/tight end and the next wide receiver) * Upback, a blocker who lines up behind the line of scrimmage in punting situations * Wingback, a position in the single wing formation, usually a running back

See also