I see every variation plus receiver option routes every game. Players are too talented that a one-trick pony would be spotted in film and rarely would catch pass, not when passing is getting better, helped by the rule changes that favor offenses. Also watching a game, you typically don't see what happens in the secondary until the ball comes because the camera follows the ball. I remember watching a show called 4th & Long which is a reality show where Michael Irvin was to find Jerry Jones "a ballplayer". It was a lot better than it sounds, there was Jesse Holley who was doing everything, out-leaping defenders for the ball. Handling the grueling workouts like running every step in the stands in the cotton bowl. He clearly was going to win. He spent his first two seasons on the practice squad before finally making the active roster as mostly a special teams player. He actually had a big play this season against the 49ers. It was a realization how talented someone has to be just to even be looked at by the NFL.
I also played in high school, I did WR/CB in Flagstaff but only WR in Mesa. We had quite a few one position players, I had a bad habit as a CB to stay where I am while the ball was in the air, badly misjudging it just to see the ball go over my head. Anyways, the theory of opportunity cost shows that NFL was going to end up this way. Opportunity cost is simply if you do something, you can't do other things while you're doing that something. For example if you're watching TV, you're costing yourself an opportunity to read a book, go to the grocery store, everything but watching TV. It makes more sense for one player to spend every opportunity they can working on one position like running back to become the best possible RB he can be, rather than waste time also working on being a linebacker. Not the perfect example as pitchers don't pitch everyday but the Red Sox had the best pitcher and hitter on the team, Babe Ruth, Ruth's value in producing wins was far greater to the team as a hitter so it naturally went that way. It is a reason why you see pitchers rarely work on batting and more on pitching.
As to your Fridge example, they sometimes have different personal in short-yardage situations. Sometimes they'll send an offensive or defensive linemen for a pass in goalline formations. Belichick will sometimes have a wide receiver in the secondary. I haven't seen it since Champ Bailey's days in Washington but they'll have a CB play WR(I think Peterson for the Cardinals probably could play WR because of his hands but you have to have great route runners in the NFL). Peyton Hillis, when he was with the Broncos started a game on offense and defense against Atlanta when they had massive injuries. Like I was saying with opportunity cost, a lot of these players probably could play a different position but it makes more sense to have them specialize in the area that they are best in rather than waste away at something they're second best in.
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