Wide receiver

A wide receiver (or WR, wideout) is an American football player whose main duty is to catch the football when it is thrown by the quarterback.

Wide receivers may also block, run with the football and sometimes throw the football besides just catching it. They can wear jersey numbers 10-19 and 80-89 in the National Football League, but there are no limits in college football.

An example of a typical wide receiver's positioning in an offensive formation: (L) in split end position, (R) in flanker position.

Dallas Cowboys wideout Dez Bryant makes a catch.

Wide Receiver Media

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  Don Hutson was a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame who played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers. He led the NFL in receiving yards a record seven times.

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  An example of a wide receiver's positioning in an offensive formation: split end (SE) (now wide receiver), slotback (SB), tight end (TE), wingback (WB), and flanker (FL) position

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  An Air Force Falcons wide receiver (foreground) lines up close to the sideline while the linemen and backs (background) line up near midfield before a snap during a 2023 game.