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 offensive lineman 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. A good tight end is designed to be a mismatch in one of two ways- due to their larger size to a regular receiver an opposing team may allocate a defensive lineman to block a tight end for run plays, but that lineman would be unable to keep up with a tight end on a passing play. Conversely, an opposing team may allocate a smaller and faster safety or cornerback to guard a tight end in case of a pass play, but then that safety will be in danger of being overpowered by the tight end in a run play.
Sterling Sharpe is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Carolina Gamecocks, and played in the NFL from 1988 to 1994 with the Packers in a career shortened by a neck injury. He became an analyst for the NFL Network. He is the older brother of Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end Shannon Sharpe.
James David Lofton is an American former professional football player and coach. He played in the National Football League (NFL) as a wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers (1978–1986), Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1988), the Buffalo Bills (1989–1992), Los Angeles Rams (1993) and Philadelphia Eagles (1993). He was also the NCAA champion in the long jump in 1978 while attending Stanford University.
Patrick Keary Jerel Colbert is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL).
Isaac Jason Hilliard is an American football coach and former wide receiver who is the wide receivers coach for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played primarily with the New York Giants.
Wilbert Montgomery is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine years with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Detroit Lions. He also served as the running backs and tight ends coach for St. Louis Rams (1997–2005), the running backs coach for the Lions (2006–2007), the Baltimore Ravens (2008–2013) and the Cleveland Browns (2014–2015).
Tim Brewster is an American football coach and former player who formerly was the tight ends coach for the University of Colorado. He also served as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator for the North Carolina Tar Heels football program. He was the head coach of the University of Minnesota from 2007 until he was fired midway through the Golden Gophers' 2010 season. In 2011, Brewster was a sideline analyst for Fox College Football and the 'NFL on Fox with Gus Johnson and Charles Davis.
Douglas Durant Cosbie is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at Santa Clara University.
Derek Dooley is an American football coach and former player who is a senior offensive analyst for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He served as the head football coach at Louisiana Tech University from 2007 to 2009 and the University of Tennessee from 2010 to 2012.
John Morton is an American football coach and former player who is the passing game coordinator for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as an Senior Offensive assistant coach for the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders. He also served as an assistant coach at USC.
In American football, Air Coryell is the offensive scheme and philosophy developed by former San Diego Chargers coach Don Coryell. The offensive philosophy has been also called the "Coryell offense" or the "vertical offense".
Lewis Glen Carpenter was an American football player and coach. He played college football for the University of Arkansas and professionally for ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) as a halfback and fullback with the Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns, and Green Bay Packers. He played on three NFL Championship teams, with Detroit in 1953 and with Green Bay in 1961 and 1962. After his playing career ended, Carpenter spent 31 years as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings (1964–1966), Atlanta Falcons (1967–1968), Washington Redskins (1969), St. Louis Cardinals (1970–1972), Houston Oilers (1970–1974), Green Bay Packers (1975–1985), Detroit Lions (1987–1988), and Philadelphia Eagles (1990–1994). Carpenter also coached the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League of American Football in 1996 and at Southwest Texas State University. He concluded his 47 years of playing and coaching football at the end of the 1996 season. Scientific tests on his brain diagnosed post-mortem that he had an advanced case of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
Tyke Tolbert is an American football coach and former player who is the wide receivers coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). Tolbert previously served as wide receivers coach for the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
Jimmy Robinson is a former American football wide receiver and retired wide receivers coach of the National Football League (NFL). He played for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers during his playing career. He was a wide receivers coach in professional football since 1984, coaching for the Memphis Showboats, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and most recently the Dallas Cowboys.
Troy Scott Taylor is an American football coach and former player who is the head coach of the Stanford Cardinal. He played professionally as a quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). Taylor played college football for the California Golden Bears and was selected by the Jets in the fourth round of the 1990 NFL Draft.
Jaime Vondel Hill is an American football coach. He formerly held the position of defensive coordinator for the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah between 2006 and 2010.
John Morgan Garrett is an American football coach and former wide receiver. He is the former head football coach at Lafayette College, a position he assumed December 21, 2016 after spending one season as the offensive coordinator for the University of Richmond. He was also a professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cincinnati Bengals and in the World League of American Football (WLAF) for the San Antonio Riders. He played college football at Columbia University and Princeton University.
Bob Bicknell is an American football coach and former player who is the tight ends coach for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the senior offensive assistant for the New Orleans Saints from 2022 to 2023 and as the wide receivers coach for the Cincinnati Bengals from 2018 to 2020. Bicknell is the son of former Boston College head coach Jack Bicknell and the younger brother of Jack Bicknell, Jr., the current assistant offensive line coach for Wisconsin.
Kevin Michael Gilbride is an American football coach who is currently the tight ends coach at Brigham Young University (BYU). Prior to joining BYU's coaching staff, Gilbride served as a tight ends coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Carolina Panthers, the Chicago Bears, and the New York Giants, where he earned a Super Bowl ring as a coach in Super Bowl XLVI.
Hubbard Lindsay "Axe" Alexander was an American football coach. As an assistant coach, he won three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) and two national championships at the University of Miami. He played college football at Tennessee State University.
