Sean McVay has a soft spot for quarterbacks who can make plays off-schedule and use their legs to create outside the pocket. Jared Goff may not be the most mobile quarterback out there, but his backups in recent years have boasted good athleticism and scrambling ability.
John Wolford certainly has quick feet, and one of Blake Bortles’ best traits is his mobility. This year, the Rams brought in Bryce Perkins as an undrafted rookie, and he’s the most athletic of the bunch – and one of the best runners of any quarterback in the 2020 draft.
The Rams gave him a vote of confidence on Tuesday when they waived quarterback Josh Love, which will give Perkins more reps in practice as they continue to evaluate him ahead of the season. McVay was asked whether Perkins’ mobility played a role in the decision to cut Love over him, and it’s clear that was a factor.
“Yeah, I think so. Bryce has done a nice job,” McVay said. “He’s earned the right to be able to get a couple more reps and for us to evaluate him. But, certainly, anytime that you can create off-schedule and be able to do some things that aren’t within the design of the play is a very good quality you like from QBs and John certainly has that.”
Perkins was a good passer at Virginia, throwing 47 touchdown passes and only 21 interceptions in the last two seasons. However, he was an even better runner, showcasing great vision and athleticism out of the backfield.
On 439 attempts, he rushed for 1,692 yards and 20 touchdowns, all but carrying the Cavaliers offense. Scrambling won’t be nearly as easy in the NFL if Perkins ever gets the chance to play in a game, but speed and athleticism don’t just suddenly go away upon leaving college.
Perkins is at least a fun wildcat quarterback to experiment with in McVay’s offense.