What Is a Route Tree in Football? Every Route Explained

A route tree is a teaching system that organizes the standard paths eligible receivers run on pass plays. Coaches use route names, numbers and landmark language to tell a receiver how far to run, where to break and which part of the field to attack. The familiar 0-through-9 tree is useful shorthand, but it is not one universal NFL code: teams can rename, renumber or adjust routes to fit their own playbook.

Do not memorize the number alone. Read four elements: the route’s vertical stem, its break, its direction and its depth. That explains why two outs can share a family name while asking the receiver and quarterback to solve different problems.

What a route tree shows

A route tree begins at the receiver’s alignment and branches into common destinations. The flat, hitch and slant attack quickly; the out, curl and dig challenge underneath coverage; the corner, post and go stretch defenders vertically.

The tree is a vocabulary map, not a complete play. A real pass concept combines routes from several receivers, the formation, motion, protection and the quarterback’s progression. Football Nation’s quarterback guide explains how the passer connects that design to the defensive look before and after the snap.

The classic numbered route tree

The table uses a common teaching convention, but exact names, numbers and depths vary. A team may call a comeback a “stop,” use a speed out, or attach a different number to the same path.

Number	Common name	Basic path	Typical teaching depth
0	Hitch	Vertical stem, stop and settle back	About 5–6 yards
1	Flat	Immediate shallow release toward sideline	About 1–5 yards
2	Slant	Short stem, sharp break inside	About 3–6 yards
3	Comeback	Deep vertical stem, break back outside	About 12–15 yards
4	Curl	Vertical stem, turn back toward quarterback	About 8–12 yards
5	Out	Vertical stem, square break toward sideline	About 5–12 yards
6	Dig / In	Vertical stem, square break toward middle	About 10–15 yards
7	Corner	Vertical stem, diagonal break outside	About 10–15 yards
8	Post	Vertical stem, diagonal break toward middle	About 10–20 yards
9	Go / Fade	Vertical route attacking deep space	Variable; usually deep

Table basis: common coaching terminology synthesized by Football Nation. The numbered system and depths are not universal NFL rules.

How every route actually works

Hitch and curl: Both ask the receiver to threaten vertically, decelerate and present a target back toward the quarterback. The hitch is normally quicker and shallower. The curl usually carries a longer stem and can settle between zone defenders. The quarterback often throws before the receiver fully turns, which makes timing and trust essential.

Flat and out: Both move toward the sideline. The flat gets there immediately and is common for backs, tight ends and receivers in quick-game or play-action concepts. The out pushes vertically first, forcing the defender to respect depth before the receiver breaks at roughly a right angle. A short throw to the flat can also become the outlet described in Football Nation’s checkdown explainer, although “flat route” and “checkdown” are not synonyms.

Slant and dig: Both break inside. The slant attacks quickly on an angle and can beat off coverage or leverage. The dig, also called an in route in many systems, pushes farther downfield before crossing horizontally. That deeper stem can move linebackers and create a window behind them, but it also gives pass rushers more time.

Comeback: The receiver sells the go route, then sinks the hips and breaks back toward the sideline. The ball should arrive near the boundary before the defender can recover. Because the receiver must stop after threatening deep, balance and an efficient break matter as much as straight-line speed.

Corner and post: These are mirror-image deep breaks. The corner bends away from the middle toward the sideline; the post bends toward the goalpost or middle of the field. Their success depends on safety leverage. A post can punish a defender protecting the outside, while a corner can exploit a defender sitting inside.

Go or fade: The receiver attacks vertically and forces the defender to turn and run. It can clear space, identify safety help or create a one-on-one shot. The NFL has used route-tree analysis to show how elite receivers win with many paths, including Justin Jefferson and Stefon Diggs.

Why routes are combined into concepts

Offenses combine routes to stretch a defense horizontally, vertically or both. A flat beneath a corner creates a high-low conflict. A post paired with a deep crosser challenges safety spacing. A slant with a flat forces one underneath defender to choose.

Down and distance changes the value of those combinations. On 3rd-and-2, a quick slant or flat may reach the line to gain before pressure arrives. On 2nd-and-long, a dig or comeback can recover useful yardage without requiring a low-percentage bomb. The defense knows the situation too, so route design must anticipate coverage and pressure. Football Nation’s blitz guide shows why hot routes and fast answers become important when extra rushers attack.

How receivers make a route look the same—until it is not

The vertical portion before a break is the stem. Good receivers use it to preserve multiple possibilities. If a slant, out and go all begin with noticeably different releases, the defender receives an early warning. When the first steps look alike, the defender must stay square longer and cannot commit as quickly.

Receivers also adjust their path to leverage. Against an inside-aligned defender, a receiver may widen the stem to create room for an inside break. Against press coverage, the release must defeat contact without ruining timing. In zone coverage, the receiver may settle in open grass rather than run directly into the next defender. Those details are why a diagram can teach the family while film teaches the route.

The biggest misconception: the numbers are not universal

A viewer may hear “route 8” and assume it always means post. That is true in many basic trees, but not in every offense. NFL playbooks use words, numbers, tags, formations and concept names in different combinations. Coaches also build option routes in which the receiver chooses among breaks based on leverage. The route drawn in the huddle can become a hitch, out or go after the receiver reads the defender.

The safest translation is descriptive: identify the stem, break, direction and depth. A route can be disrupted by defensive holding before the throw or pass interference after it; Football Nation’s holding guide explains the timing.

How to read a route tree while watching a game

First, note the receiver’s alignment: wide, slot, tight to the formation or in the backfield. Second, watch the first five yards and ask whether the route threatens inside, outside or vertically. Third, find the break and estimate its depth relative to the first-down marker. Finally, watch the nearest defender’s leverage and the safety’s movement. Those four observations usually explain why the quarterback threw the ball, moved to the next read or checked it down.

The NFL’s Top 100 Routes of the 2025 Season is a useful film companion because it shows how route craft produces separation across many different concepts. Look beyond the catch: rewind to the alignment, release, stem and break.

Football Nation takeaway

A route tree is football’s map of receiver movement, not a universal codebook. Learn the common 0-through-9 families, then focus on what actually survives from team to team: stem, break, direction, depth and defender leverage. Once you see those pieces, pass plays stop looking like random motion. You can recognize the space the offense is attacking and understand why the quarterback’s answer was—or was not—available.

Sources and visual credit

Current NFL examples were checked against official NFL video analysis and route collections. Cover: original AI-assisted Football Nation artwork created August 13, 2026; no player likeness or team trademark is depicted. Body route-tree diagram: original Football Nation teaching graphic created August 13, 2026. Both visuals are 1600 by 900 and produced for this article.