We have seen an influx of running quarterbacks with true pocket passers becoming more and more rare, which could eventually lead to many of these guys eventually not seeing the field as often as they would in years past, coaches have become less inclined to move athletic quarterbacks to other positions instead giving them more chances to play at QB, soon enough they will become more inclined to start dual threat qbs to keep defenses off guard and help compensate for the lack of true offensive line development in college. But I believe before they start moving entirely away from pocket passers we will see more Taysom Hill like situations where teams employ qbs that are athletic enough to contribute in other ways, and play them in packages as they develop as passers as well. We have heard some teams heading that direction already such as Baltimore that drafted Lamar Jackson, and Trace McSorley. A couple years ago when Jeff Driskel lost his backup job to Ryan Finley, the Bengals experimented with the 6'4 230 lb QB at wide receiver and special teams, It wasn't too long Terrelle Pryor the former QB threw the ball 3 times, ran it 3 times, and caught 3 passes all in one game. The athletic quarterbacks with the builds to do it exist so why not get creative?
As I mentioned above Eddie LeBaron and Don Meridith actually played in a true two QB system in 1962 sometimes alternating as often as every play. LeBaron started 6 games going 3-3, completing 57% of his passes for 1,436 yards 16 tds 9 ints, while Meridith added 1,679 yards, 15 tds, 8 ints and a 50% passer rating. In 1963 they allowed Meridith to take hold of the position and had him start 12 of 14 games however he actually had worse statistics as a full time starter than he had alternating with LeBaron the year prior. Could this be a sign there is a logic to using two qbs this isn't the only example of some success coming from these experiments.
Don Strock a 32 year old veteran passer, was paired with the younger David Woodley known for his running ability. The two quarterbacks would alternate often at the drop of a pass or the failure to score on a drive. Don Shula couldn't decide between the two quarterbacks but did ultimately use this system to such success that the Dolphins made the Super Bowl, took a lead before halftime only to choke it away to poor QB play. Which is what spurred the team to draft Marino the following season.
In Baltimore after drafting Lamar Jackson everyone knew it was not a matter of if he would see the field it was when and how. The answer was week one in one of the most modern two qb systems. Jackson completed 1 of 4 passing attempts for 24 yards, and ran 7 times for 39 yards. It became apparent Harbaugh was a fan of Jackson's talents. He would use him in every game except week 3 in 2018 before handing him the starting duties. During this time he racked up 7 completions, 12 attempts, 87 yards, 1 td 0 ints, 28 carries for 139 yards and 1 td.
It happened again more recently when Brian Flores alternated Tua and Fitzpatrick depending on the game, and situation. Despite starting just 20 games the past 2 seasons Fitzpatrick played in 24 games. The interesting part is Fitzpatrick set a career high in completion rate at 68.5%, he also had his 3rd highest yards per attempt with 7.8, and finished the season with an efficient 13 tds, 8 ints and a 4-3 record. Tua meanwhile is credited with 10 games played in, 9 starts. He produced a 6-3 record, 64.1% completion rate, 11 tds, 5 ints, leading two 4th quarter comebacks and 2 game winning drives in those games. I would say this is perhaps the most successful recent example producing a 10-6 record, 24 tds, 13 ints and cumulative 66.3% completion rate are solid stats for a starting qb. Add in the 151 rushing yards by Fitz, as well as the 109 yards and 3 tds by Tua and Brian Flores looks pretty smart all of a sudden. Perhaps that is the best system for Fitzmagic who is always good in spurts.
In Philadelphia last season it seemed as though they were gearing up to run a lighter version of a two qb system having drafted Jalen Hurts known for his prowess as a runner as the backup to Carson Wentz a mobile but not running qb. Instead Hurts' status as a second round pick clouded what otherwise would have been a great setup and Wentz was ultimately benched.
The earliest example I could find was that of Bob Waterfield and Norm Van Brocklin. The reason I saved this for last is that I believe this may wind up being the type of two QB system we see in the NFL. Both Waterfield, and Van Brocklin were solid athletes who contributed at other positions which led to both players being picked as Probowlers in 1950 and 1951. This exact example would be hard to duplicate as Waterfield threw the ball, ran the ball, kicked field goals and extra points, and punted that season. Van Brocklin also handled all those same duties without the kicking but also split punting duties. However if we look at today's NFL and you imagine if an offense employed two mobile quarterbacks in the same backfield at once it truly could revolutionize NFL offenses as we know them. For current examples, imagine if Tommy Stevens had latched on in New Orleans. Now you have Taysom Hill, and Stevens in the same backfield. Both players can throw, run, catch, or block so it doesn't tip off the defense where the snap is going at all or where it will end up which creates endless possibilities. The thing is Sean Payton isn't the only coach thinking about the possibilities of this.
Coaches are quick to follow trends if they work which is why I have no doubt that Press Taylor as the passing game coordinator for the Eagles had a lot to do with the team selecting Jalen Hurts, a man who in college threw 80 tds, ran for 43 tds, and caught 5 passes and scored a td through the air too, in the second round because he believes that soon enough we will start seeing more packages with two passers on the field. He was likely watching closely as Taysom Hill contributed at nearly every offensive skill position and on special teams and looked at the value a truly versatile QB can provide, and he went to Roseman who then drafted arguably the most versatile QB available in the 2020 draft.
Rumors started to come out shortly after that the Chargers had selected Easton Stick with similar things in mind. Stick was the man who took over after Carson Wentz, and left college as a 5th year senior despite getting a degree in 3 1/2 years. He headed to the NFL with a resume that included 427 rushing attempts and 41 tds on the ground. He also caught a pass in college but this has yet to come to fruition despite sporting a similar build to Hurts at 6'1 225 lbs.
In Carolina the Joe Lombardi led offense has a recently signed running back named Darius Clark who is one of the most versatile players you'll find on just about any roster. In his junior and senior seasons at Newberry he took on a very diverse role. He threw 11 passes completing 4 for 83 yards and 1 td, returned 5 kicks for 97 yards, 25 receptions for 167 yards and 94 carries for 334 yards. He isn't the only player that can provide this ability in their offense either. Mikey Daniel a fellow rookie runner was used in a similar way but only logged 2 passing attempts both as a senior in college, Micah Simon was a high school quarterback before moving to wide receiver. Lombardi helped create the packages that made Hill the Swiss army knife he is today.
Looking forward to next year's draft there are several players that could fill a role similar to Taysom Hill, starting with John Rys-Plumlee. He is listed as a QB/WR but has spent more time running the ball than anything. In 2019 despite playing just 9 games he showed out with 154 carries he managed 1,023 yards 6.6 avg. and 12 tds, throwing 150 passes completing just 79 passes or 52% for 910 yards, 4 tds and 3 ints. In 2020 he transitioned away from playing quarterback putting up 6 games, 25 attempts for 94 yards, 6 receptions for 79 yards, completed 5 of 7 passes for 65 yards 1 td 0 ints.
D'Eriq King a recent transfer to Florida from Houston is 5'8 196 lbs and not highly enough regarded as a passer to be a full time QB at the next level however his 4.45 speed can't be ignored at the next level. He is listed as a 6th round pick based on his skills as a QB, but I believe a team will see value in other roles and draft him in the 4th round or higher. He has the build to play as a 3rd down running back, and slot receiver, he could be used on jet sweeps, screens, and as a passer at times depending on the team. I could see him being the next Julian Edelman, former QB turns successful slot receiver, and punt returner. More importantly he has already served in this role in Houston during his first two seasons he caught 58 passes for 492 yards and 3 tds, carried the ball 87 times for 435 yards and 8 tds, 92 completions on 142 passing attempts for 1,280 yards 8 tds, 1 int, 11 kick returns for 260 yards and 1 td, 6 punt returns for 29 yards. Having displayed this skill set already an NFL team will surely draft him as an athlete and find a role for him.
Levi Lewis is a 5'8 187 lb qb from Louisiana Lafayette. He is expected to run in the 4.7 range, which is less than ideal speed for a dedicated positional player, but when that player adds value as a 3rd string quarterback does that increase his value to an NFL team? In 43 games over four seasons he put up 186 carries for 745 yards and 9 tds 4.0 avg, while completing just over 61% of his 788 passing attempts for a career 8.0 avg totalling 6,286 yards, 54 tds, 14 ints and returns as a 5th year senior in 2021. I see him as sort of a Trace McSorley type where teams will see him as a prospect that can play other positions such as DB, WR, RB, KR, PR.
Long story short I think we are only a couple years away from seeing hybrid positions being created for players that can throw the ball and still contribute in other ways such as Hill. There are simply too many athletic college quarterbacks that don't pan out as such in the NFL, why not use them as depth guys at other positions while utilizing their skills as passers occasionally to keep the defenses guessing?
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