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Football Library · Routes

Wheel

Route10-22 yd
All routes

RB or slot releases flat to the sideline (~3 yds depth, ~6 yds out), then ROUNDS UP and runs vertical along the sideline (the rounded turnup is the wheel). Beats LBs in man coverage who can't run with a back. Common pair with a deep crosser to clear the safety.

QX

Demo rendered on @X (outside WR) at 16yd depth. Only the route runner and the QB are shown so the break stays the focus; the same route family scales to any depth a play calls for, and concepts that use this route may set a different depth.

How to run it

flat then turn it up — beat the LB to the sideline.

Reading it by coverage

How to run the wheel against what the defense shows.

Cover 1:
vs man — a linebacker can't run the wheel with a back; win up the sideline.
Cover 3:
run up behind the curl/flat defender as the deep-third corner sits — sideline seam.
Cover 4:
test the quarters corner's wheel discipline — go if he squats on the flat fake.
Man:
the flat fake holds the linebacker, then beat him vertical up the boundary.