What are dbs in football?
DBs (also known as defensive backs) are responsible for covering wide receivers and stopping the pass.
This article will explain what a DB in American Football is and why their positions are essential.
A DB in American Football is short for a defensive back. These players are often the fastest players on the defensive side of the ball, as they are tasked with covering wide receivers.
They are called defensive backs because they are often the last line of defense, the back of the defense.
Positions are often grouped in American football, as it’s easier to control a chunk of players than individual positions.
For instance, it’s easier to say the D-Line instead of every defensive line position. Instead of naming every linebacker type, it’s easier to say “the linebackers.”
This is the same for the DBs, as they are often the 4 (or 3) players included in the defensive backfield. Let’s learn all the players that are considered defensive backs.
If you’re looking to learn more about the defensive back position, we offer free training guides, as well as a complete football handbook. Inside the handbook, you’ll find all you need to know about the man and zone coverages and what defensive backs are tasked with on every play.
A cornerback is responsible for covering wide receivers. The cornerback is often the widest player on the field, covering the widest receiver on the field.
These players are often tall and long players or short and fast players. Playing cornerback takes a tremendous amount of athleticism, as the player needs to work both forward and backward.
NFL players such as Stephon Gilmore and Darrelle Revis are masters at their craft. These players shut down some of the top wide receivers in the league.
Playing cornerback requires extreme patience and ball skills to track it through the air.
Cornerbacks are one of the DBs found in pretty much every defense.
The strong safety position is also part of the DB groupings. Strong safety is found within most defenses, although coaches may choose not to use a strong safety.
Strong safeties are often too small to be linebackers but can still hit and track the football like a defensive back. These players are responsible for covering the pass and playing the run.
They call them strong safeties because the player must play the run and play the pass. These players often line up on the strong side of the formation.
The strong side of the formation includes either the running strength (where there are more tight ends and fullbacks) or the passing strength (where there are more eligible receivers).
It requires toughness and athleticism to play this defensive back position.
Free safety is a defensive back position found in every defense.
They call it safety because it’s the last line of defense. These players ensure the offense doesn’t score if an explosive play happens.
An explosive play is often a run or a pass play that results in 15 or more yards. If an offense can gain 15 or more yards on a run or pass play, it will be a long day for the defense.
If the defensive line or the linebackers miss a tackle, it’s up to the safety to make a tackle. Often, if the safety misses a tackle, the offense scores a touchdown.
The safety position is one of the most critical defensive backs on the field, as they are the safety valve of the defense.
If you’re interested in learning more about positions in American Football, read here.
A cornerback is a defensive back. A defensive back is a name for the grouping of defensive players. These defensive players include cornerbacks and safeties. There are often 3 or 4 defensive backs on the field at all times.
Defensive backs are often the fastest players on the field, as they need to cover the wide receivers on offense.
Football has transitioned more to a speed game rather than a power game. The more speed on the offensive side of the ball needs to be matched by the speed on the defensive side of the ball.
This is why DBs are important to defense and play an essential role in shutting down the offense.
Below are more articles to help you learn about defensive backs.
How To Play Press Coverage
How To Backpedal In Football
How To Play Press Coverage
What Does A Safety Do In Football? Learn Here
A DB in American Football is a defensive back. Defensive backs are responsible for ensuring no touchdowns are scored if a defensive lineman or linebacker misses a tackle.
DBs are also responsible for covering wide receivers and ensuring no passes are entirely down the field. Defensive backs are often tasked with covering wide receivers in man coverage or playing an area of the field known as zone coverage.
Defensive backs are tall and longer players or shorter and faster players. This all depends on the coach’s preference and what type of player he wants to play in that defensive back position.
DBs have one of the hardest positions on the field physically but one of the easiest mentally. The defensive back position is often the least physical position, as players are rarely tackling and involved in physical plays.
Defensive backs require more athleticism and ball skills to catch or knock away the football when thrown.
Let’s keep learning! Our learning center is packed with techniques, schemes, and more!
DBs (also known as defensive backs) are responsible for covering wide receivers and stopping the pass.
This article will explain what a DB in American Football is and why their positions are essential.
A DB in American Football is short for a defensive back. These players are often the fastest players on the defensive side of the ball, as they are tasked with covering wide receivers.
They are called defensive backs because they are often the last line of defense, the back of the defense.
Positions are often grouped in American football, as it’s easier to control a chunk of players than individual positions.
For instance, it’s easier to say the D-Line instead of every defensive line position. Instead of naming every linebacker type, it’s easier to say “the linebackers.”
This is the same for the DBs, as they are often the 4 (or 3) players included in the defensive backfield. Let’s learn all the players that are considered defensive backs.
If you’re looking to learn more about the defensive back position, we offer free training guides, as well as a complete football handbook. Inside the handbook, you’ll find all you need to know about the man and zone coverages and what defensive backs are tasked with on every play.
A cornerback is responsible for covering wide receivers. The cornerback is often the widest player on the field, covering the widest receiver on the field.
These players are often tall and long players or short and fast players. Playing cornerback takes a tremendous amount of athleticism, as the player needs to work both forward and backward.
NFL players such as Stephon Gilmore and Darrelle Revis are masters at their craft. These players shut down some of the top wide receivers in the league.
Playing cornerback requires extreme patience and ball skills to track it through the air.
Cornerbacks are one of the DBs found in pretty much every defense.
The strong safety position is also part of the DB groupings. Strong safety is found within most defenses, although coaches may choose not to use a strong safety.
Strong safeties are often too small to be linebackers but can still hit and track the football like a defensive back. These players are responsible for covering the pass and playing the run.
They call them strong safeties because the player must play the run and play the pass. These players often line up on the strong side of the formation.
The strong side of the formation includes either the running strength (where there are more tight ends and fullbacks) or the passing strength (where there are more eligible receivers).
It requires toughness and athleticism to play this defensive back position.
Free safety is a defensive back position found in every defense.
They call it safety because it’s the last line of defense. These players ensure the offense doesn’t score if an explosive play happens.
An explosive play is often a run or a pass play that results in 15 or more yards. If an offense can gain 15 or more yards on a run or pass play, it will be a long day for the defense.
If the defensive line or the linebackers miss a tackle, it’s up to the safety to make a tackle. Often, if the safety misses a tackle, the offense scores a touchdown.
The safety position is one of the most critical defensive backs on the field, as they are the safety valve of the defense.
If you’re interested in learning more about positions in American Football, read here.
A cornerback is a defensive back. A defensive back is a name for the grouping of defensive players. These defensive players include cornerbacks and safeties. There are often 3 or 4 defensive backs on the field at all times.
Defensive backs are often the fastest players on the field, as they need to cover the wide receivers on offense.
Football has transitioned more to a speed game rather than a power game. The more speed on the offensive side of the ball needs to be matched by the speed on the defensive side of the ball.
This is why DBs are important to defense and play an essential role in shutting down the offense.
Below are more articles to help you learn about defensive backs.
How To Play Press Coverage
How To Backpedal In Football
How To Play Press Coverage
What Does A Safety Do In Football? Learn Here
A DB in American Football is a defensive back. Defensive backs are responsible for ensuring no touchdowns are scored if a defensive lineman or linebacker misses a tackle.
DBs are also responsible for covering wide receivers and ensuring no passes are entirely down the field. Defensive backs are often tasked with covering wide receivers in man coverage or playing an area of the field known as zone coverage.
Defensive backs are tall and longer players or shorter and faster players. This all depends on the coach’s preference and what type of player he wants to play in that defensive back position.
DBs have one of the hardest positions on the field physically but one of the easiest mentally. The defensive back position is often the least physical position, as players are rarely tackling and involved in physical plays.
Defensive backs require more athleticism and ball skills to catch or knock away the football when thrown.
Whether it’s the losing end of a touchdown pass or a game-saving interception, defensive backs (DBs) are part of football’s biggest plays. In one play, a DB may fight a 6’4” receiver on a high pass and on the next play chase a running back racing down the sideline. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we need to answer…
What is a DB in football?
A DB is a player lined up behind defensive linemen and linebackers. DBs are critical on defense because they’re responsible for covering wide receivers. A group of DBs in a defensive scheme is called the “secondary” because they’re the next line of defense behind linemen and linebackers.
With that said, that’s just a snapshot of the position and if you’d like to learn more about what defensive backs do and some of the best DBs to ever play – continue reading.
Defensive backs are versatile athletes that have many different responsibilities throughout a game. Depending on the play call, DBs may be required to play man defense, zone coverage, or blitz.
In man coverage, a DB must defend a specific offensive player. Usually, DBs defend wide receivers, but they may also pick up assignments to cover running backs or tight ends. Wherever their opponent runs, a DB must keep up. They need to be ready to deflect passes or tackle their opponents if they’ve already caught the ball.
In zone coverage, a DB must defend a specific area – or “zone” – on the field. When the quarterback throws a ball near their zone, a DB must be ready to intercept or deflect the pass. If a ball carrier breaks toward their zone, a DB is responsible for making the tackle.
Sometimes, coaches call plays that involve a DB blitz. A blitz is a defensive play where more than four players rush the quarterback (usually it’s four defensive linemen plus at least one non-defensive lineman).
The offense doesn’t expect DB blitzes because the defensive back must run a long way to get to the line of scrimmage. A DB blitz is risky for the defense because it leaves an open spot for the quarterback to throw downfield. If the DB blitz works, however, it’ll pay off nicely for the defense. The extra player blitzing may tackle the QB for a sack or force a bad throw.
Because they’re responsible for stopping an offense’s playmakers, DBs must be good all-around athletes. They need the quickness and speed to keep up with the fastest offensive players and have high verticals to compete with taller receivers. When tackling or contesting a pass, DBs need the strength to not get outmuscled by bigger players.
Defensive backs must have awareness, quickness, and coordination to be successful. They must also line up in proper position before the snap. There are several ways for defensive backs to line up. Each type of coverage dictates how they’re going to defend after the snap. These are different types of coverage for defensive backs.
Man coverage requires a DB to keep up with his assigned opponent – a wide receiver, running back, or tight end. If your team plays effective man coverage, the opposing quarterback will not have any open receivers to throw the ball to. There are risks of playing man coverage, though. A wide receiver skilled at running routes can juke or turn, forcing the DB to change direction. If the DB overreacts, he’ll lose the receiver and risk giving up a pass completion.
Zone coverage requires a DB to cover a specific part of the field. The advantage to zone defense is that wide receivers’ complicated routes won’t throw the defenders off-guard. DBs anticipate the throw and only pursue receivers after the ball is thrown. If a pass comes to your zone, be ready to intercept it or prevent a receiver from catching it! The biggest risk of zone coverage is that good quarterbacks can easily find throwing spots between zones.
Press coverage is for defensive backs who want to disrupt wide receivers’ routes at the beginning of each play. In press coverage, a DB gets close to the line of scrimmage and stands facing the receiver he’s covering. When the ball is snapped, the DB attempts to block the receiver’s path. If the wide receiver can’t run his normal route, the play won’t end how it was drawn up.
Press coverage comes with its risks. If the DB is unsuccessful at blocking or disrupting the receiver’s route, the receiver can break open downfield. To keep up, the DB must backpedal or turn around and chase the receiver. Poor execution of press coverage may lead to a big play for the offense!
Cornerback is a position in the defensive back group. Pre-snap, cornerbacks typically line up near the “corner” area where the sideline meets the line of scrimmage. Cornerbacks line up this way because they’re usually assigned to defend wide receivers. A conventional defensive scheme features two cornerbacks, one for each side of the field.
A cornerback’s primary responsibility is defending the opponents’ wide receivers. On pass plays, cornerbacks try to prevent receivers from catching passes. If defended well from the start, a wide receiver might not even have the ball thrown in his direction. If the cornerback can’t intercept a pass, he’ll try to knock the ball away or obstruct the receiver.
When the offense calls a run play, a cornerback’s duties change. The main goal is stopping the ball from advancing, so the focus shifts from covering receivers to tackling the ball carrier. When the receiver gets in a blocking stance after the snap, this hints that a run play is in the works. The cornerback must find a way to get past the receiver.
Sometimes, run plays will still have receivers running routes to pull defensive backs away from the line of scrimmage. When this happens, the cornerbacks should pay attention to the receiver ending his route or turning around to block downfield.
Coaches sometimes call plays for their cornerbacks to blitz. In a blitz, the defense sends another pass rusher in addition to the defensive line. Cornerback blitzes are high-risk but high-reward plays.
Because a blitzing cornerback comes from outside the tackle box, there won’t be an offensive lineman or tight end there to block him. If he’s coming from the quarterback’s blindside, the quarterback will never see him coming.
This could lead to an easy sack due to the QB thinking he has more time to throw. If the cornerback is blitzing from where the quarterback can see him, it may lead to a hurried throw.
The downside to cornerback blitzes is that they leave openings for giving up yardage. If a quarterback detects the blitz, he knows there’s less coverage on his wide receivers. The cornerback blitz usually means there’s one of two opportunities.
There will likely be room for a quick pass to the zone that the cornerback came from. If another defender steps in to cover the area or assigned receiver, the quarterback will realize he can throw a deep pass. When the safety moves up to cover a receiver, there’s more room to throw downfield.
Cornerback is a position within the defensive back position group. Conventional defensive schemes use four defensive backs: two cornerbacks, one free safety, and one strong safety. Schemes more focused on stopping the pass may use five defensive backs. This fifth defensive back is called the “nickelback.”
At most, there are two cornerback spots on a defensive lineup. Even if you have four defensive backs on the field whose primary position is cornerback, only two of them are playing cornerback at that time.
Like cornerbacks, safety is a position within the defensive back position group. Pre-snap, safeties are lined up furthest away from the line of scrimmage. They’re the last line of defense – or the “safety” net – between the line of scrimmage and the endzone.
Safeties are primarily responsible for deep pass coverage; they pick up receivers running deep routes and help cornerbacks cover receivers. Safeties may also be assigned to move toward the line of scrimmage to help defend against running plays. There are two types of safeties: free safety and strong safety.
Safeties frequently play deep zone coverage. You can usually tell what kind of deep coverage they’re playing based on how many DBs take zones after the snap.
In a cover-one defense, one safety drops back into a zone while his teammates play man defense. In cover-two, both safeties drop back into zone coverage. Cover-twos may see the rest of the team in man coverage, but they could also be set for linebackers and cornerbacks to play zone too. In cover-three and cover-four, safeties and corners play deep zone defense.
Great defensive backs can keep up with the fastest runners, leap with the tallest receivers, and take advantage of poorly thrown passes. The best defensive backs, however, are so good that quarterbacks are terrified to throw in their direction! For this reason, cornerback Deion Sanders is one of the best defensive backs in NFL history.
Sanders’ play introduced a new archetype of defensive backs – the shutdown corner. Sanders was considered a shutdown corner because he was so skilled that he “shut down” his half of the field. Quarterbacks refused to throw to players whom Sanders was covering.
While quarterbacks usually avoided throwing at his assignments, Sanders took advantage whenever the ball headed in his direction. In his NFL career, Sanders racked up 53 interceptions, nine of which he returned for touchdowns!
Although he retired at age 34, Sanders was such a great athlete and fierce competitor that he came back to play three years later. At age 37, Sanders signed with the Baltimore Ravens. He played two more seasons before retiring for a final time.
Ed Reed is another one of the NFL’s greatest defensive backs. At 5’11”, Reed wasn’t the biggest safety in the league, but he was one of its hardest hitters and most feared defensive players.
Reed played 12 of his 13 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens. He led the NFL in interceptions three times and racked up more than 600 tackles. He was the NFL’s 2004 Defensive Player of the Year, an award that safeties rarely win. Most importantly, Reed finally won a Super Bowl in 2012, his last season with the Ravens.
Only one player has won college football’s Heisman trophy for his defensive performance, and he happened to be a defensive back. For that reason, Charles Woodson is one of the best defensive backs in college football history.
During his sophomore and junior seasons, Woodson played on both sides of the ball. He ran about 10 plays per game on offense while shutting down receivers on defense. In three college seasons, Woodson had 16 interceptions.
To cap off his 1997 Heisman season, Woodson’s Michigan Wolverines won the NCAA Football Championship with a Rose Bowl victory over Washington State. Woodson was the fourth overall pick of the 1998 NFL Draft. He went on to have a Hall of Fame professional career.
Another great college defensive back was Rod Woodson (no relation to Charles). Like Charles, Rod played both offense and defense at a Big Ten school – Charles at Michigan and Rod at Purdue. Even crazier, they eventually played together with the NFL’s Oakland Raiders!
Rod Woodson was one of the most productive defensive backs in college football history. In four seasons at Purdue, he racked up 455 tackles, four fumbles forced (seven recovered), 11 interceptions, and 29 passes broken up.
In his final game at Purdue, Woodson started on offense, defense, and special teams. In this win over Indiana, Woodson filled up the box score with 93 rushing yards, 67 receiving yards, 10 tackles, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and 76 return yards.
And as you may have guessed, Rod Woodson is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and the College Football Hall of Fame.
de*fen*sive back
1. A defensive back is a defensive player who sets up position off the line of scrimmage. Defensive backs are used primarily for pass coverage and are assigned to cover the wide receivers and sometimes tight ends, depending on the defensive formation. Cornerback and safety are considered defensive back positions.
Defensive backs line up away from the center of the line of scrimmage. They cover the deep backfield areas and primarily pursue receivers from the opponent’s offense.
After the snap occurs, defensive backs run forward or backpedal in order to stop long passing plays or tackle members of the offense. They cover the wide receivers and the tight end and try to disrupt their routes. It’s important that they don’t allow the receivers to get behind them, since this could potentially lead to major yardage gains or a touchdown.
The main responsibility of a defensive back is to prevent touchdowns from being scored. To do this, they are required to cover the deep backfield through man-to-man or zone coverage. Most of their job involves pass coverage and tackling.
Athleticism is critical for defensive backs. They must have the explosive speed and physical agility to keep up with a receiver, and the strength to tackle when necessary to stop a running or passing play or prevent a touchdown. Defensive backs are often the fastest players on a team’s defense. Good ball skills also help defensive backs make interceptions or knock the ball down when the opportunity arises.
A strong understanding of the game helps defensive backs succeed in their positions on the field. They must be skilled in reading the play and anticipating what the quarterback is going to do with the ball.
There are two main types of positions defensive backs play: cornerback and safety. These players are sometimes collectively referred to as a team’s secondary.
In most defensive formations, there are four football positions designated for defensive backs: left cornerback, right cornerback, a free safety and a strong safety.
The defense includes a cornerback on each side of the field. The right and left cornerbacks are positioned closest to the sidelines compared to other members of the defense, and they are responsible for covering the outer thirds of the field. Cornerbacks are positioned across from the offense’s wide receivers. They must be able to backpedal quickly and be fast and agile enough to keep up with the wide receivers. The main task for a cornerback is to disrupt passing plays by tackling, intercepting passes or causing the receiver to fumble.
The free safety is lined up furthest back from the line of scrimmage out of all the members of a team’s defense. They are “free” to go wherever they’re needed to help the defense succeed in stopping the ball and, if possible, causing a turnover. They often anticipate which way the quarterback will throw the ball and then assist the defensive linemen or cornerbacks in that area of the field. At times, free safeties participate in a blitz.
The strong safety is named for their position on the field. They line up slightly ahead of the free safety and over toward the opponent’s strong side. Typically, this is the side where the tight end is positioned on offense. Strong safeties are often slightly larger and stronger than free safeties in order to take on the tight ends, who are also larger players. Duties of a strong safety include covering passes and stopping runs.
A safety is a type of defensive back on a football team. Most teams have two safeties: a free safety and a strong safety. These safeties are positioned deeper than other defensive players and serve as the team’s last line of defense.
Both cornerbacks and safeties are defensive backs on their team, but their positions and responsibilities on the field are different. Cornerbacks are positioned toward the sidelines of the field and closer to the line of scrimmage, while safeties are positioned closer to the middle of the field and farther from the line of scrimmage.
Cornerbacks focus on covering the opposing team’s wide receivers. Safeties have a deeper position that allows them to see where the play is headed and assist the rest of the defense accordingly. For both positions, the key responsibility is to disrupt passing plays and cause turnovers when possible.
Defensive backs stand further back from the center of the line of scrimmage than other defensive players. Cornerbacks are positioned somewhat close to the line, but far out toward the sidelines. Safeties are positioned toward the middle of the field, but they are the furthest back from the line, with the strong safety being a bit closer to the line than the free safety.
Defensive backs are not considered to be part of the defensive line, which is made up of several types of defensive linemen. Defensive backs focus primarily on disrupting passes, while the defensive linemen primarily make tackles.
There are two main types of defensive backs: cornerbacks and safeties. There are also two key position types on the defensive line: defensive tackles and defensive ends.
American football requires that each team have 11 players on the field at a time, while Canadian football requires 12 players per team. As a result, Canadian football teams have an additional defensive back position called the defensive halfback. Note that while this position is sometimes simply referred to as the halfback in Canadian football, in American football, the halfback refers to one of a team’s two running backs (the other is the fullback).
The defensive halfback’s role combines elements of the cornerback and linebacker positions. They typically provide man-to-man coverage of the slotback. The nickelback position in American football has many similarities with the defensive halfback in Canadian football.
The rankings for the top DBs in football history include the following standout safeties and cornerbacks:
Playing at both safety and cornerback, Ronnie Lott is widely considered one of the best defensive backs of all time. After being selected in the first round of the 1981 NFL Draft, he spent most of his career playing for the San Francisco 49ers. He recorded a total of 63 interceptions, 1,146 tackles and five touchdowns. Lott was a four-time Super Bowl champion, first-team All-Pro eight times and a 10-time Pro Bowl participant.
Deion Sanders played primarily at cornerback over 14 seasons in the NFL, which was spent with a number of teams including the Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. He made 53 interceptions and 22 touchdowns in his career and was voted as the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1994. He also won two Super Bowls and was selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team. As of 2023, he is the head coach for the football program at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Charles Woodson is the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy. He played as a defensive back for 18 season in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers and started off his career by being selected as the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He later was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009 and was a Super Bowl Champion. Woodson had a career total of 20 sacks, 65 interceptions and 1,105 tackles.
Ed Reed is a standout safety who played primarily for the Baltimore Ravens during his NFL career before becoming a free agent and signing with the Houston Texans and then New York Jets. He participated in nine Pro Bowls, was honored as Defensive Player of the Year and won a Super Bowl. As of 2023, he holds the NFL records for the most interception return yards (1,590 yards) and the longest interception return (108 yards).
During his 12-year NFL career, Troy Polamalu played strong safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers. A two-time Super Bowl champion, he was known as a hard-hitting player on the field and racked up a total of 783 tackles and 12 sacks in his career. In his last season with the Steelers, Polamalu made eight combined tackles and one quarterback hit in his final game.
Dick Lane was a cornerback for 14 seasons in the NFL, playing with the Los Angeles Rams, Chicago Cardinals and Detroit Lions. In two of those seasons, he was the league’s interceptions leader. He was also in the Pro Bowl seven times and selected to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team. He still holds a record he set in 1952 for the most interceptions in a season (14). Over his entire career, he recorded 68 interceptions and 1,207 interception return yards.
Considered to be one of the greatest cornerbacks of all time, Mike Haynes made his mark in the NFL playing for the New England Patriots and Los Angeles Raiders. He was selected to the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time Team, won a Super Bowl and was in nine Pro Bowls. He recorded a total of 46 interceptions and 5 touchdowns in this career.
Salaries for defensive backs in the NFL vary widely based on a player’s proven skills and potential for success. As of the 2023 season, the top-paid cornerbacks and safeties in the NFL earn around $10 to $20 million per year. Most players in these positions earn around to $1 to $2 million per year.
1. The Dallas Cowboys’ defensive back jumps in front of the wide receiver and snags the interception.
2. The defensive back lines up next to the linebackers to help stop the run being made by the Panthers.
1. Football
1. DB
