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Joe Webb is taking his talents to the wide receiver position.

Switching positions is nothing new for Webb. He was a star at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, specifically as a QB during his junior and senior seasons. But Webb played WR at UAB as a sophomore, hauling in 30 receptions for 459 yards and 3 TDs.

The dynamic Webb was drafted by the Vikings with a 6th-round pick in 2010, with the team thinking he’d play WR. It didn’t take long, though, and the Vikings placed him at QB.

Since then he’s served as a 3rd-string and backup QB, and most recently he started in place of an injured Christian Ponder for the Vikings Wild Card playoff game in Green Bay this past January. But after signing veteran Matt Cassel to be Ponder’s backup in 2013 and holding on to developmental prospect McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the Vikings have decided to try and tap into Webb’s potential by shifting him to WR.

Vikings Head Coach Leslie Frazier confirmed the team’s decision to switch Webb to a WR to the Star Tribune’s Sid Hartman.

“We had been talking about it for a while, and we made the decision that this was the way to go after we had our draft,” Frazier told Hartman.

Because of his tremendous athleticism, make-you-miss agility and his charismatic nature, Webb is a fan-favorite in Minnesota. Whenever skepticism arose about his ability to contribute as a QB, fans immediately opined for him to switch positions and play WR to avoid letting his natural talent go to waste.

Now, Webb has indeed moved to WR, and he joins a position group that is 12 deep. That group includes a couple high-profile recent additions in blue-chip free agent signing Greg Jennings and 1st-round pick Cordarrelle Patterson. Throw in 2nd-year up-and-comer Jarius Wright, and you can see that Webb will have a big-time battle on his hands with 9 (or more) others for just a few spots this offseason and training camp.

But Webb’s skill set makes him an intriguing option at the position. He isn’t as polished as even some of the inexperienced youngsters on the roster, so he has a lot to learn on that end. But he does boast good speed, outstanding leaping ability and legitimate ankle-breaking agility. Webb could develop into a great red zone weapon and a dangerous run-after-catch option in the short passing game.

The move of Webb to WR has several other possible effects beyond just the WR group. If he were to make the 53-man roster, it could give the Vikings some added flexibility when it comes to declaring their active game-day roster. If, for example, the Vikings needed an extra player at a certain position due to injuries or in-game strategy, the team could forego the option of an emergency (3rd) QB knowing Webb could fill the role if needed. Also, since the Vikings will be relying on Jennings, Patterson and Wright primarily at WR, the Vikings can use Webb on special teams in a variety of roles without exposing a top receiver to injury.

Any way you look at it, the move of Webb to WR is both intriguing and exciting.