Skill positions in football are the positions

American football positions

In American football, each team has eleven players on the field at one time. Because the rules allow unlimited substitution between plays, the types of players on the field for each team differ depending on the situation...

 that are most responsible for causing or preventing points from being scored. The skill positions are:

• Quarterback
  Quarterback
  Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
  
  
• Running back
  Running back
  A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
  
  , particularly halfback
  Halfback (American football)
  A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
  
  
• Wide receiver
  Wide receiver
  A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
  
  
• Cornerback
  Cornerback
  A cornerback is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in American and Canadian football. Cornerbacks cover receivers, to defend against pass offenses and make tackles. Other members of the defensive backfield include the safeties and occasionally linebackers. The cornerback position...
  
  
• Safety
• Return specialist
  Return specialist
  A Return Specialist is a player on American football or Canadian football special teams who specializes in returning punts and kickoff returns. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most play other positions as well. The special teams counterpart of a return specialist is a...
  
  
• Less commonly, linebacker
  Linebacker
  A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
  
   and defensive end
  Defensive end
  Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
  
  

Skill positions are often contrasted with linemen – players who line up along the line of scrimmage

Line of scrimmage

In American and Canadian football a line of scrimmage is an imaginary transverse line beyond which a team cannot cross until the next play has begun...

. Skill position players are generally smaller than linemen, but they must also be faster and have other talents (such as the ability to throw or catch the ball, cover an opposing receiver, or to dodge opponents) that rely more on finesse than on brute force. Positions that are not considered "skill positions" would include nose tackles, defensive tackles, offensive linemen, fullbacks

Fullback (American football)

A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...

, and tight end

Tight end

The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...

s (though the latter two positions can be either skill or non-skill, depending on the situation).

Placekicker

Placekicker

Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...

s, punter

Punter

The word punter may refer to:* A speculator in the stock market* A gambler, particularly an amateur betting on horse racing or a player in the game of Baccarat* A beginner skier or snowboarder, especially one with particularly bad style...

s, long snapper

Long snapper

In American football and Canadian football, the term long snapper refers to a player who is a specialized center during punts, field goals, and extra point attempts. His job is to snap the ball as quickly and accurately as possible....

s and holder

Holder (American football)

In American football the holder is the player who receives the snap during field goal and extra point attempts made by place kick. The holder is usually positioned between seven and eight yards behind the line of scrimmage. The holder kneels down and places the hand farthest from the line of...

s are usually considered separate from both the skill positions and the lineman positions, due to their highly specialized lines of work.