Welcome to the third in our series covering the common routes of NFL wide receivers. This time, we'll cover two common routes in a wide receiver's repertoire, simply titled an Out and an In.
Out: Like the Comeback and the Curl, this route usually will break between 10 and 15 yards from the line of scrimmage. Only on this route, his break will be a sharp 90-degree angle toward the sideline.
Many of the catches you see where a receiver drags his toes to get both feet in bounds before flying out of the field of play occur on a common out route.
In (aka Dig or Drag Route): As you likely gathered for yourself, the in is identical to the out, except the receiver cuts 90 degrees toward the center of the field rather than to the sideline. It is a good way to test a team's underneath coverage and take advantage of any open areas between the linebackers and the safeties.
Another common variation of this is the shallow crossing route. These generally take place closer to the line of scrimmage with the receiver cutting through the defense and is an effective way to evade man coverage.
