In American football, a trap run or trap play is a run consisting of a defender on the line of scrimmage (either a defensive tackle or defensive end) getting trap blocked by an offensive lineman or back from the opposite (other side of the center) side of the ball.

What is the Trap Play? Trap is a quick-hitting, downhill run scheme that kicks out an interior Defensive Lineman and is especially effective against an aggressive pass rushing defensive lineman. If an offense has a bruising, powerful Fullback, it can be just as successful as a Spread offense that has a smaller, more dynamic Tailback running Trap.

Trap is a quick-hitting play that’s typically used as a change of pace of outside runs like Buck Sweep or Jet Sweep. It brings physicality, forces interior defenders to deal with a different kind of block, and quickly gets running backs up onto the second level.