Wide-9

The wide-9 puts the edge rusher way outside the tackle — outside where a tight end would line up — often in a sprinter's stance aimed at the quarterback's launch point. It trades run-gap discipline for one thing: the fastest possible path to the passer, forcing the tackle into a footrace on every dropback. Offensive tackles hate it because the rusher's angle stretches their kick-slide to its breaking point. It's a passing-down weapon; against the run, someone else has to make up for the vacated edge.

Defined by Coach Jay Freeman — 34 years coaching the offensive and defensive line.

Related trench terms

Speed rushD-Line

An edge-based pass rush — outside leverage and acceleration to run the arc around the tackle.

Kick-slideO-Line

A pass-set technique where the outside foot kicks back and the inside foot slides to keep a square base.

Get-offD-Line

The first step from the stance. The single biggest defensive-line weapon.

5-techniqueD-Line

A defensive end aligned on the tackle's outside shoulder — the classic 3-4 end spot.

3-techniqueD-Line

A defensive tackle aligned on the guard's outside shoulder — the B-gap penetrator spot.

Go deeper

• Coach Jay’s lineman training library — the technique behind the term →
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