How many people are on an NFL team’s coaching staff?
The coaching staff of any NFL team makes for an extensive reading list of the various facets of a team’s elements, and its strategy when taking the field.
If you’ve ever watched an NFL game, then you would almost certainly have seen a whole bunch of people on the sideline aside from the players and the head coach. The question is how many of them were assistants and what are their roles?
So, how many coaches does an NFL team have?
While it may sound too much to those who are unfamiliar with the game of football, those who are will know that there several departments within any team in the NFL: the offense, defense, and special teams. Inside those departments, you’ve got a specialist coach (coordinator) and each of them reports to the head coach of the team. Indeed, though it is with the consideration of all feedback from each of the specialist coaches, it’s the HC who has the final word on all decisions that relate to both when the team has the ball, and when it’s defending against a team that does.
It’s important to note that under the three aforementioned coordinators, there are also a number of coaches who report to them as well. Typically, the offense has five while the defense has three i.e., there are normally a total of 12 coaches in any NFL team.
What is an offensive coordinator?
The offense is of course where the proverbial magic happens. That’s to say that the offensive coordinator is charged with the task of creating strategies and tactics when it comes to possession of the ball and scoring points. Underneath the OC you have a variety of coaches who specialize in specific positions. You can see the list below:
- Quarterback coach
- Offensive line coach
- Running back coach
- Wide receiver coach
- Tight end coach
What is a defensive coordinator?
As is the case with the OC above, the defensive coordinator has the duty of figuring out how to stop the opposing team and then in turn finding the way to correctly execute it. As you’ve probably guessed, there is also a lineup of coaches who report to the DC and you can see them below:
- Linebackers coach
- Defensive line coach
- Defensive backs and secondary coach
What is a special teams coordinator?
Generally speaking, the special teams coach is singular in that there are no sub-coaches who report to them. To that end, they have two primary obligations to fulfill. Firstly, as the coordinator responsible for the special teams unit, they must lead the group during practices. Then there is the question of devising strategies for two potentially pivotal moments that occur in football games: the kick and the kick return. With that, we hope you enjoyed our guide and are more informed about all that goes down on the sidelines in NFL teams.