What is "slotback"

n. 1 (context American football English) A particular position in American football, similar to a wide receiver. 2 (context Canadian football English) A particular position in Canadian football, similar to a hybrid between wide receiver and running back. This position is more common in the Canadian game than its American counterpart.

Slotback (sometimes referred to as an A-back or, especially in the United States, slot receiver) is a position in gridiron football. The "slot" is the area between the last offensive lineman on either side of the center and the wide receiver on that side. A player who lines up between those two players and behind the line of scrimmage is a slotback. The position is a fixture of Canadian football and indoor football, but is also used in American football. The slotback is similar to the wide receiver but also has many of the same traits as a running back or tight end; a slotback lines up closer to the offensive line and often farther back than a wide receiver.

Slotbacks are often as many as five yards behind the line of scrimage when the ball is snapped and, in the Canadian and indoor game, may also make a running start toward the line of scrimmage prior to the snap. (In most forms of American football, this would be an illegal motion, although a few professional leagues such as the World Football League and XFL allowed forward motion.)