GridIron Data

NFL depth charts and starters

get_depth_chart

Read-onlyIdempotent

Returns NFL depth charts as of the daily nflverse refresh (as_of): each entry's player, ids, position, formation, slot and rank (1 = starter), for one team or all 32, optionally one position or starters only. Use it for "who starts at QB for X?" or the next man up behind an injured player. Built from public depth charts, not official team depth charts. Pro plan (Free and Basic keys get 403 pro_required).

Tool call template

This tool declares no required parameters. Add optional parameters from the input schema as needed.

{
  "id": 1,
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "arguments": {},
    "name": "get_depth_chart"
  }
}

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description
`team`	No	Only this team. Default: all 32. Team code, e.g. BUF or KC. LA/LAR, WSH/WAS and JAC/JAX are interchangeable.
`position`	No	Depth chart position, e.g. QB, RB, WR, TE, LT, C, PK; K, OT, G and OL also work.
`starters`	No	true = starters only (rank 1). With position=QB, every team's starting QB.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`note`	No	Notes about the data.
`as_of`	No	The nflverse snapshot time the depth charts come from.
`count`	No	Entries returned.
`error`	No	Present only when the call failed: what went wrong.
`reason`	No	Machine-readable failure reason, e.g. basic_required or pro_required.
`season`	No	Season.
`source`	No	Attribution: nflverse, CC-BY-4.0.
`status`	No	HTTP status of the failed API call.
`entries`	No	Per entry: team, player, player_id, espn_id, gsis_id, position, formation, slot and rank (1 = starter).
`loaded_at`	No	When GridIron loaded that snapshot.
`upgrade_url`	No	Where to see the plans.
`required_plan`	No	The plan that unlocks this data: basic or pro.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

First observedNov 10, 2026

TDQS

A4.5/5.0

Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already declare readOnlyHint/idempotentHint/destructiveHint=false, but the description adds context annotations cannot carry: the daily nflverse refresh (as_of), the provenance caveat that these are public rather than official team charts, and the tier gating with the exact error code. It also defines rank semantics (1 = starter), which is behavioral meaning an agent needs to interpret results.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness5/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Four sentences, front-loaded with the resource and return shape, then use cases, then the provenance caveat and access requirement. Every sentence carries distinct information and nothing is repeated from the schema.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness5/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For a three-optional-parameter read tool with an output schema, the description covers scope, filtering, rank meaning, data freshness, source caveat, and the paywall failure mode. Nothing an agent needs in order to call this correctly or interpret a 403 is missing.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema coverage is 100% and the parameter descriptions already cover team-code aliasing, position shorthand, and the starters+position interaction, so the schema does the heavy lifting. The description only restates those filters at a high level and adds no format, precedence, or edge-case detail beyond them, making the baseline 3 correct.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description opens with a specific verb+resource ("Returns NFL depth charts") and enumerates the returned fields (player, ids, position, formation, slot, rank) plus the scoping options (one team or all 32, one position, starters only). An agent knows exactly what this tool yields and at what granularity without opening the schema.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

It supplies two concrete use cases ("who starts at QB for X?" and "the next man up behind an injured player") that make the selection decision obvious, and it states a hard precondition (Pro plan; Free/Basic keys get 403 pro_required). It stops short of naming an explicit alternative or when-not-to-use condition, which keeps it below a 5.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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