I remember the first time I really understood the raw, terrifying speed of a professional football player. It wasn’t on a pristine TV broadcast with perfect camera angles. It was on a rain-slicked Tuesday afternoon at a local university field, where I was shadowing a friend who coached a semi-pro team. The session was supposed to be light, but the head coach, a grizzled former linebacker named Marcus, had other ideas. A young wide receiver, all potential and swagger, had just run a lazy route, rounding off his cut. The ball sailed incomplete. Marcus didn’t yell. His voice dropped to a low, gravelly calm that cut through the drizzle. “Son, you think this is a game of strolls? We measure effort here in miles per hour, not minutes per mile.” He pointed a thick finger downfield. “Do it again. And this time, I want to see you answer a question: just how fast do football players run?” That phrase, tossed into the damp air, stuck with me. It’s a deceptively simple question with a complex, position-by-position answer, and it defines the modern game.
The receiver ran the route again, a crisp out-and-up. This time, he exploded out of his break. The difference was audible—a sharper rip of cleats on turf, a more violent push-off. He wasn’t just faster; he was urgent. Marcus gave a curt nod. That moment, the shift from casual to committed speed, is everything. It got me digging later. We hear about 40-yard dash times at the Combine—the gold standard for explosive, linear speed. The elites, like Tyreek Hill or DK Metcalf, flirt with times in the 4.2-second range. That translates to an average speed of over 19 miles per hour for that short, furious burst. But that’s in shorts, on a track, with no pads, no play context, and certainly no 250-pound linebacker calculating an interception angle. Game speed is a different beast. GPS data from actual matches reveals that the average speed for an NFL wide receiver over the course of a game might be around 7-8 mph. That sounds low, right? But that’s the average, dragged down by walking back to the huddle, jogging to the line. The magic is in the peaks. Those same receivers will hit 20-22 mph in full stride on a deep post route. A running back breaking into the secondary might hit 21 mph. Even a massive defensive end like Myles Garrett has been clocked at over 20 mph chasing down a quarterback from the backside. The numbers are staggering when you contextualize them. Twenty-two miles per hour is the average speed of a city cyclist, and these men are doing it while changing direction, absorbing contact, and making decisions in milliseconds.
This obsession with measurable, actionable speed brings me back to Coach Marcus and his philosophy, which echoes that blunt quote from your knowledge base. He’d say things like, “Direct to the point. We don’t sugarcoat things here. Your GPS data is your truth. If you can’t take that—if you see a 18.5 mph max speed when the scheme demanded 20+—then you cannot play on this team if you cannot take that.” It was never about shaming; it was about an unvarnished standard. Speed wasn’t just a gift; it was a responsibility. I saw a veteran safety, a step slower than in his prime, get that talk. The data showed he was a half-second late closing on two deep crosses the previous game. Marcus didn’t question his heart; he showed him the film synced with the speed metrics. “Your mind is here,” he’d tap the screen at the snap. “Your body,” he’d trace the slower-moving line, “is here. We need them in the same zip code.” The player either adapted, using smarter angles and earlier reads, or he’d be exposed. There’s no mercy in the numbers.
My personal take? We fetishize the 40-time, but I’m far more fascinated by “play speed” and acceleration. A player who goes from 0 to 15 mph in two yards is often more valuable on most downs than one who takes five yards to hit 22 mph. Think of a slot receiver like Cooper Kupp. His 40-time was good, not legendary. But his ability to accelerate out of a double move at the top of his route is what makes him unguardable. That first-step explosion, measured in yards per second squared or whatever metric they use now, is the real currency in the trenches and in the open field. I prefer watching that controlled, violent acceleration over a pure straight-line burner any day. It’s football, not track.
So, what’s the final answer to that rainy-day question, “How fast do football players run?” The average speed revealed by data is a mosaic. It’s 4.3 seconds over 40 yards for the freaks. It’s a game-long average of 6-8 mph that hides volcanic bursts of 20+ mph. It’s a running back maintaining 19 mph while cutting laterally at a 45-degree angle. But more than anything, it’s a mindset. It’s the willingness to reach for that top gear play after play, knowing that a sensor is recording it all, and a coach like Marcus is waiting with the un-sugarcoated truth. The speed isn’t just in their legs; it’s in their willingness to face the data, the critique, and the relentless demand to be faster than the man across from them, even if it’s just by a fraction of a step. That’s the speed that wins games.
People in Motion (PiM) is our employee advocacy and improvement program. These cross-functional groups are comprised of employees, with an executive sponsor, who contribute ideas and drive action towards focused areas of improvement across the employee experience. The groups include: Kyruus Kontext & Business Readiness; Community, Connectivity, & Engagement; System, Tools, & Productivity; IDEA [Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Accessibility].
As a remote-first company, we are invested in employees creating a work setup that allows them to do their best work. In addition to a laptop, we also provide you with $750 to get the additional equipment you need and add an ongoing amount of $1,200 to your salary to cover remote work costs.
We value ownership at Kyruus Health, not only in the work you do but in the shared financial success from our growth. Employees will have the opportunity to grow their equity ownership throughout their tenure.
We care about creating the time you need to bond for any team members at Kyruus Health growing their families. We offer 8 weeks of fully paid leave to all parents. Birthing parents are also eligible for additional time and coverage through our Short-Term Disability plan.
We encourage all employees to save for retirement through our 401(K) plan. Employees have the option to begin contributing to their accounts on their first day of employment and we offer an employer match of up to $1,500 per calendar year for all employees who enroll.
We offer employees a lifestyle stipend of $2,000 per year to help them be well. This is designed for Kyruus Health to offset the cost for items, experiences, or home expenses that enhance team members’ well-being
We want to provide employees and families with health insurance offerings to support them getting the care they need. Our health, dental, and vision plans are desiged to allow employees the opportunity to choose options that work best for themselves and their families.
We are committed to flexibility and empowering employees to do work that matters in a way that works for them. Our unlimited PTO policy is anchored on that flexibility – encouraging employees to take time off for what’s important to them, in addition to the many company holidays we celebrate. To highlight our commitment to a healthy work-life balance, we provide a specific stipend each quarter for employees to use on a recharge day.
