Oregon Football: What to watch for on offense this spring

Tight End

The tight end position is another that Dillingham uses in a variety of ways.

As far as true tight end positions go, these guys will align one of two ways. Depending on the called formation, they will either align as an in-line tight end or as an H-back.

The in-line alignment is exactly how it sounds, it is in line with the rest of the offensive line. This is the more traditional tight end alignment. Lining up this way creates another gap along the line by spreading the surface that the defense has to defend. The way defenses decide to play the extra gap can create larger holes for the running backs.

The H-back alignment places the player about three yards off of the line of scrimmage and splits the difference between the guard and tackle. This alignment is great for the two-back run schemes that Dillingham favors, such as power and counter. It allows the tight end to come from angles more akin to fullbacks in other schemes.

The tight end will even be used as another wide receiver. Throughout the off-season, Oregon’s wide receiver room has looked a little thin, but the fact that the fourth receiver in all of Oregon’s four-receiver sets will be a tight end helps to offset that.

A tight end in the slot presents a unique matchup problem for a defense as they can out-leverage most defensive backs with their size and most linebackers with their speed.