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There is no longer a distinction between left tackles and right tackles
By Ross Tucker Jun 12, 2019
How do you know someone doesn’t really know what they’re talking about when it comes to the NFL these days?
When they talk about the difference between left tackles and right tackles or describe an offensive lineman as a “right tackle only,” that’s how.
The truth is, anybody who has been paying close attention to the league the last few years realizes (or at least should) that there is no longer a distinction between the two positions on the edges of a team’s offensive line. If your team’s front office hasn’t figured that out yet, and there are still a few I’m not convinced have, you’ve got major problems.
That’s why I’m not surprised the Raiders are lining up at mandatory minicamp this week with their marquee free agent signing, Trent Brown, who played left tackle with the Patriots, at right tackle. Or that the Eagles drafted Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard in the first round to be the heir apparent to longtime stalwart Jason Peters at left tackle despite years of speculation that the team would just slide stud right tackle Lane Johnson over to left once Peters finally called it a career.
The Raiders and the Eagles have both identified the increased importance of the right tackle position and have allocated assets there accordingly. Not all other NFL teams have followed suit and some of them have really struggled as a result.
To understand where we are now one must understand first how we got here. Teams figured out in the 1980s that it made sense to put their fastest and best pass rushers over the offense’s left tackle because that was typically the quarterback’s blind side and that would give them the best opportunity to get a game-changing strip sack. Think Lawrence Taylor and Derrick Thomas.
To combat that, NFL teams realized they needed their best and most athletic offensive lineman to play left tackle. Think Anthony Munoz, Jonathan Ogden, Tony Boselli, Orlando Pace, Walter Jones, etc.
More recently, a lot of defenses decided to counter that offensive tendency by putting their best rusher over the opponent’s right tackle. Think Von Miller, Khalil Mack, DeMarcus Lawrence, Joey Bosa, Justin Houston, etc.
There are really three main reasons for this. The biggest one is that in a matchup league it makes sense to move your rusher to a spot where he will typically get a more favorable matchup, and that is over the right tackle for most teams in the NFL.
The other two are a little more technical.
“I think part of it is a reaction to teams doing so much shotgun and getting rid of the ball so quickly,” said former NFL lineman Geoff Schwartz, who not only got time at both spots during his career but is also the brother of Mitchell Schwartz, one of the best right tackles in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs.
“Because of that, the left defensive end (over the right offensive tackle) is the closest to the ball and is right in the sight line of the quarterback on a lot of those throws and has the best chance to disrupt him. Plus, teams are still right-handed enough in their play-calling that they still slide the protection to the left more often than right which creates more true one on ones.”
That’s an important distinction as often one side of the line is comprised of two one on one battles and the other side, to which the center slides, is more of a “three on two” situation. It’s a huge difference and while teams are trying to get more balanced in their protection calls they aren’t there yet.
What does it all mean?
It means you better have a right tackle who can pass protect and not play like a slower-footed ogre like some teams have put out there. Look at the teams that went far in the playoffs last year and you quickly realize they all had very good right tackle play. It’s become a premium position in a passing league focused on affecting the quarterback even if the salaries haven’t all caught up to that reality yet.
It also means that if you hear someone continuing to make a distinction between left and right tackle you should probably stop listening to them because their thinking is outdated.
At best.
