Over the last decade, the game of football has seen an emergence of dual-threat quarterbacks — a quarterback who can both throw and run the ball. Mobile quarterbacks in the National Football League (NFL) have opened up offensive playbooks, and as the years go on, more and more quarterbacks demonstrate the ability to run the ball, which makes watching a game all the more exciting. 

Professional quarterbacks were once evaluated on their ability to make quick decisions led by precise passes out of the pocket, and they still are. But with the emergence of dual-threats, a quarterback’s ability to move counts for so much more than it ever used to. 

“Being a dual-threat is not just about racking up rushing yards. It's about extending plays, skillfully avoiding the rush in the pocket, making tacklers miss to create plays downfield for the receivers,” Nick Lee, a journalist for Sports Illustrated, said in an article.  

Take Ben Roethlisberger for example, who is widely considered as one of the most immobile quarterbacks in the NFL. However, when he was drafted in the first round in 2004, his immobility was hardly recognized. 

Now, with athletes like Lamar Jackson in the league, public perception of the role of the quarterback has significantly shifted.

Jackson has the most rushing yards by a quarterback in the league right now and holds the record for the most single-season rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206 yards, a product of his 2019 campaign. That same year he became the second player in NFL history to unanimously win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) award and the youngest quarterback to win it, ever. 

“Lamar Jackson’s playing in 2019 absolutely changes the landscape of what NFL teams should be looking for in a quarterback going forward,” said famous NBC Sports journalist, Peter King. 

Players like Jackson, the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson or former-great Michael Vick, force defenses to change their game plan, abandon man-coverage and depend on a very good defensive containment method to shut down this offensive threat. 

“When he starts running, and he gets into that second level of the secondary and the linebacking group, it’s trouble for everybody,” ESPN analyst Jeff Saturday said of Jackson. 

Usually a defense will set up to defend either the passing game or the running game on any given drive, but when you have a quarterback that can do either, this makes way for the read-option, which ultimately forces a defense to choose one defensive scheme and focus on the biggest threat that the quarterback poses in that instant. Compared to offenses that don’t have mobile quarterbacks, it makes it much harder to defend. 

Then, there was the development of the “QB spy” to defend the dual-threat, which in theory should help contain quarterbacks like Jackson and Wilson, since the spy’s sole job is to follow the quarterback. The problem is that the tactic leaves a gaping hole in the middle of the field and can be a waste of a defender if the offense decides to throw the ball or hand it off. 

Yet another problem that a running quarterback causes for defenses. 

While dual-threats have garnered increased attention in the last decade, they’ve also raised a lot of questions. Many experts argue dual-threat quarterbacks risk losing the longevity of their football career at the expense of running the ball. 

Nowadays, it is rare to see a running quarterback play at their peak performance level for their entire career. When running down the field, mobile quarterbacks are more prone to big hits and serious injury, in turn leading to a shorter career. This is why running backs have shorter careers than any other position group and average just 2.57 years in the NFL. 

So when a quarterback leaves their pocket of protection, they expose themselves to some of the hardest hitting players in the league who are looking to blow someone up on the run. Quarterbacks are lucky if they can get out of bounds before they get hit.

There’s also an argument to be made that having a precise pocket-passing threat like Tom Brady or Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning is an equally threatening weapon. Brady and Manning have mastered the art of quarterbacking so perfectly, they don’t need to rely on any sort of running game. 

And from a pure safety standpoint, these quarterbacks are much better protected and can extend their careers on the field. Brady for example, is in his 20th season, one of the longest quarterback tenures in league history.

Saying pure pocket passers are just as threatening as mobile quarterbacks becomes a convincing argument when adding turnovers to the conversation. Despite having the most running yards of any quarterback, Jackson has also thrown 13 interceptions this season — the second-most of any quarterback this year. 

“He’s an electrifying talent. My only issue with him is consistency, in terms of throwing the football,” longtime ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith said. 

Is he a dual-threat or just a mobile quarterback? His averageness as a passer has sparked this question and Jackson has become an example of how this discrepancy has been washed over the years. It was this very question that scared coaches away from drafting Jackson in 2018, when he went as the last pick in the first round behind four other quarterbacks, despite an unbelievable college career and garnering the esteemed Heisman Trophy.