CORTLAND, N.Y. -- Tim Tebow isn't the only high-profile player on the Jets that plays multiple positions. CB Antonio Cromartie could get a look at wide receiver.

"That’s something we’ve talked about," Rex Ryan said Friday. "You have to be ready for those types of things. You learn the system and that makes you more valuable."

Cromartie lined up at receiver for five plays last season, according to ProFootballFocus.com. He didn't get any passes thrown his way, but he carried the ball once on an end around. There's no doubt that Cromartie has the ability to make plays when he gets the ball in his hands. You're talking about the player who owns the NFL record for the longest play, a 109-yard return on a missed field goal. Cromartie, if you recall, volunteered in the offseason to play safety.

Ryan is looking to create position flexibility. That was evident on the first day of practice. Aside from Tebow playing quarterback and serving as the up-back on the punt team, you had LG Matt Slauson taking a couple of reps at right tackle, a position he hadn't played since college. Ryan wants to create what he calls "hidden depth."

"I challenge the guys to learn not just your position, but learn other positions because in the NFL, you need hidden depth," he said. "... You don’t have the numbers. You have 53 guys on your roster, 45 are active, some games there has to be some crossover."