2 min read • January 04, 2023
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Intricate plays are made possible through the distinct positions assigned to every NFL player. These positions have different difficulty levels requiring specific skills, making some more prone to injury than others. So, what NFL position gets the most concussions?
The cornerback position gets the most concussions. This was realized when the NFL conducted a study that examined all 459 concussions that occurred during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. After the research, it was discovered that almost a quarter of these concussions were sustained by cornerbacks, followed by wide receivers, linebackers, offensive linemen, and kickers, respectively.
Contrary to the popular conception that players who receive a hit are more likely to get concussions, the study showed that concussions were more common in cornerbacks who initiated the hits by tackling or blocking another player. These cornerbacks' concussions resulted from helmet-to-helmet, helmet-to-body, and helmet-to-ground contacts.
The NFL cornerback (CB) position, also known as a corner or defensive back, is played by a secondary or defensive backfield member. According to the NFL rulebook, a cornerback must always be in the defensive zone at the beginning of a play where they are lined up outside the defense.
The responsibilities and movements of the cornerback position are usually determined by pattern matching done before the start of a play by a coach or a defensive captain. However, the primary defensive responsibilities of the cornerback position are:
Legally intercepting forward passes made by the offense
Tackling a ball carrier from the opposing team, blitzing, or infiltrating the offensive backfield during play to tackle an opponent carrying the ball
Covering the offense’s wide receivers and creating turnovers.
Cornerbacks may be assigned to shadow offensive wide receivers and prevent them from getting the ball by tackling or getting in the way of a pass in man-to-man coverage or defending any pass or player that comes into an area in zone coverage. The NFL cornerback position requires the following qualities:
Strength, speed, dexterity, and extraordinary instincts
Good understanding of man-to-man and zone coverage
Ability to predict the quarterback and wide receiver
Proficiency in clearing blockers, interrupting pass routes, and backpedaling
Ability to tackle offensive wide receivers at the line of scrimmage
The cornerback position is undeniably one of the most critical positions on a team's defense. What makes this position so prone to concussions is inherent in the brutal and violent nature of the NFL. However, for many years, the NFL has been an authority on players' health and safety in several ways.
Together with the NFL Player Association, the NFL continues to address the issue of concussions and relentlessly works towards improving the prevention, identification, diagnosis, and management procedures of this brain injury in cornerbacks and all other NFL positions. Here are the ways through which the NFL accomplishes this:
The NFL protects cornerbacks by enforcing and changing rules. This action is intended to help eradicate illegal and dangerous behaviors that could result in concussions. For example, the rules of legal coverage prohibit a cornerback from making contact with an offensive receiver while the ball is still in flight, eliminating unnecessary tackles and reducing the risk of concussions.
Cornerbacks and other positions are also forbidden from making helmet-to-helmet contact when tackling or blocking players. Violation of these rules may attract penalties for the offending side. After each season, the Competition Committee oversees the rules-changing procedure and examines injury data to determine what rule changes will impact player behaviors and improve player safety.
Also referred to as the Game-Day Concussion Protocol, the NFL Concussion Protocol is a procedure that NFL players who have sustained a concussion must undergo before they are allowed to return to play the game. This policy ensures that concussed NFL cornerback positions do not return to play a game while still experiencing any concussion symptoms.
Once a cornerback is suspected of having suffered a concussion, officials and spotters must immediately put the player in the concussion protocol for neurocognitive evaluation. This protocol was implemented in 2011 to reduce the number of concussions occurring in the NFL and is reviewed annually by the NFL Head, Neck, and Spine Committee.
The NFL continues to fund research by leading experts and world-class institutions to find effective ways to address concussions in NFL players. Experts have suggested that special helmets should be used in these positions due to the predominance of concussions in cornerbacks. So, every year, the league assigns biomechanical engineers to analyze what helmets are best for preventing concussions.
Also, the NFL works with medical researchers to learn more about preventing, diagnosing, and treating concussions and related conditions in cornerbacks and other NFL positions.
With the assistance of the NFL Players Association, the NFL can provide up to 30 medical practitioners at the stadium on game days. This unaffiliated medical personnel is to provide immediate medical attention to injured players. They must also follow the NFL Concussion Protocol when identifying and evaluating players for concussions.
Yes, a player in the cornerback position can score a touchdown. In fact, cornerbacks are the defensive players most likely to score touchdowns since they get interceptions and run them back for a touchdown. So, when there is a turnover, the defense team can take the ball and score a touchdown.
Although they are both described as defensive backs, there is a major difference between these NFL positions. Cornerback positions play near the line of scrimmage and sideline with the responsibility of shadowing the offense's wide receiver. The safety position, however, plays far behind and is the defense's last line of defense.
The NFL cornerback position is essential and indispensable in a team's defense. Although the enormous responsibility of this position presents a higher risk of its players sustaining more concussions than other positions, the NFL continues to seek to minimize these risks.
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