What does DT mean in football?
DT is a defensive tackle in football. The interior lineman, who takes on blocks in the middle to close the running lanes and push the pocket.
What a defensive tackle looks like
225 defensive tackles are on NFL rosters right now, and the median one is 6' 3" and 306 lb.
- On rosters
- 225
- Median height
- 6' 3"
- Median weight
- 306 lb
- Median age
- 25
His numbers understate him by design: a tackle who occupies two blockers makes the tackle for the linebacker behind him, and only the linebacker’s name goes in the book.
Tackles at the position, 2026
The median defensive tackle with a figure at all posted 4 tackles. These five led the position.
- 1Derrick HarmonPIT11
- 2A'Shawn RobinsonTB10
- 3James LynchCHI10
- 4Leonard WilliamsSEA10
- 5Jordan DavisPHI9