Over the last decade or so, the quarterback position in the NFL has evolved to the point where players are expected to be a little bit more than simply pocket passers.
The ability to be mobile, escape the pocket and be able to gain yardage with one’s legs is now seen as a necessary part of being an elite QB, at least to a certain extent.
Cam Newton was one of the signal-callers who helped usher in this revolution, and on the “4th and One” show, he was asked if he was the greatest dual-threat quarterback in league history.
But he said Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is the greatest dual-threat QB ever, partly because of his speed.
NO ONE ran with the combination of size & speed like @CameronNewton did in his prime https://t.co/SVpmhcZRAL pic.twitter.com/8NPQnq5UaZ
— 4thand1show (@4thand1show) July 2, 2024
Jackson is coming off of an excellent season in which he threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns while adding 821 yards and five touchdowns on the ground.
He won his second regular season MVP thanks to those numbers, and he led the Ravens to a 13-4 record, which was tops in the entire league.
Unfortunately for them, they ultimately fell meekly in the AFC Championship Game to the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs 17-10, as Jackson was only able to connect on 20 of his 37 pass attempts.
But this coming season, they will have an additional weapon in running back Derrick Henry, a four-time Pro Bowler who ran for over 2,000 yards during the 2020 campaign and should still have a little bit left in his tank.
Henry and Jackson should give Baltimore a fearsome one-two punch on the ground this fall.
