Why Old School Quarterbacks are Being Phased Out for Newer, Faster QBs

Football is constantly evolving, and with that comes a new recommended requirement for NFL quarterbacks — speed. Gone are the days of simply scrambling for 10 yards to avoid a sack. A lot of today’s QBs are pros at running the ball too. 

Younger players like 2019 MVP Lamar Jackson are at the forefront of this game-changing shift. Jackson rushed a historic 1,206 yards last season with the Baltimore Ravens and placed sixth among all runners, beating out running backs like the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook (1,135 yards) and his own teammate, running back Mark Ingram (1,018 yards).

Also included in this collective group of movers-and-throwers are the Arizona Cardinals’ Kyler Murray, Houston Texans’ Deshaun Watson and Buffalo Bills’ Josh Allen.

Kyler Murray (Credit: Abbie Parr/Getty Images)

“To have the idea of a stagnant quarterback now seems impossible,” says Joe Buck, lead announcer for NFL on Fox, citing the accelerated speed and creativity of defenses, which forces the QBs to move more. “Over the last handful of years, the guys who have come in can move.”

Along with allowing for a more open offensive game, this type of player “has brought more of the college football style and systems to NFL playbooks,” notes Mike Tirico, host of NBC’s Football Night in America, “which in turn has given the young QBs a better chance to get on the field earlier [in their career].” There’s no slowing them down!