Most professional football players are specialists, meaning they play only one position on one side of the ball. This is especially true for linemen. Traditionally, left tackles only play left tackle. Right tackles only play right tackle.
But salary cap and roster limitations have led to the emergence of a relatively new term: swing tackle.
A swing tackle is an offensive lineman capable of filling in at either tackle position. The job typically falls to a backup left tackle because players accustomed to the left side can often transition more easily to right tackle than right tackles can to the left, though there are exceptions.
During the NFL’s opening week, Steelers starting left tackle Troy Fautanu went down with a knee injury. Starting right tackle Dylan Cook, the team’s swing tackle, moved over to replace Fautanu, and untested rookie Max Iheanachor was thrust into the game at right tackle.
This maneuvering may not seem like a big deal on the surface, but consider the situation from Cook’s perspective. Cook is an undrafted free agent from not-so-powerhouse Montana. He had bounced around the league for several years, getting signed, released, and placed on practice squads.
The stars had finally aligned, and he was starting the season in a position he had earned, only for something outside his control to change it all.
Moreover, the player who replaced him at right tackle, Iheanachor, was the Steelers’ top draft pick. With the team having a vested financial interest in Iheanachor, Cook may not get his right tackle spot back when Fautanu returns.
That could understandably be a proverbial hard pill to swallow. But that wasn’t the case for Cook.
Steelers reporter Mike Prisuta noted that Cook has been around the league long enough to know that Iheanachor will be taking over the starting right tackle spot “sooner rather than later.” Yet while Fautanu’s injury was being attended to, Cook was seen working with Iheanachor on pass protections, preparing the rookie for the upcoming series.
Prisuta praised Cook for being a good teammate and for continuing to practice on both sides in case just such a situation should arise. Prisuta said, “The next time Cook complains about any of this will be the first time.”
Listen to Prisuta’s comments here (20:40)
The concept of a “swing” isn’t exactly new. It’s been common practice in theater for generations. In theater, particularly musical theater, a swing is a performer responsible for learning and covering multiple roles.
Swings are different from understudies or standbys, who only back up specific principal actors or members of the ensemble.
Being a swing demands exceptional memory, versatility, and adaptability. Swings must be prepared to step into any of the roles they cover, sometimes with little advance notice. The role necessitates accepting inconvenience and suppressing ego.
Theatrical swings are invaluable to large productions because they ensure continuity when actors become unexpectedly unavailable. The same is true of swing tackles.
For that matter, the same is true of any team member willing to become a swing teammate.
Swing teammates don’t define their value by the role they hold. They define it by their ability to serve whatever role their team needs. They learn responsibilities beyond their own, prepare before they’re needed, and willingly step outside their comfort zones when circumstances change.
Sometimes that means accepting inconvenience. Sometimes it means surrendering the spotlight. And sometimes, as Cook demonstrated, it means helping prepare the very person who could eventually take your place.
That’s where versatility becomes sacrifice.
The more you understand your teammates’ roles, the greater your appreciation for their contributions—and the more valuable you become to your team. When circumstances change, swing teammates don’t ask, “What happens to me?” They ask, “What does my team need from me now?”
Swing teammates are deserving of our praise and gratitude. Don’t merely appreciate these team members; ask whether you’re willing to be one.
In a radio broadcast a few days after the game in which Cook replaced Fautanu, Prisuta commented: “Cook does his part and whatever else needs to be done. (He is an) easy guy to root for.”
I can’t think of a better description of a good teammate.
As always…Good teammates care. Good teammates share. Good teammates listen. Go be a good teammate.
