I spend way too much time thinking about quarterbacks, and specifically quarterback development.
Now it does not come at the expense of the rest of my life, but I would be lying if I said that there was not an occasion or two where either my wife or one of my children asked me a question, and my mind was elsewhere, contemplating how rookie QBs need time to develop and how coaches can ease those transitions.
Quarterback development remains something of a white whale in the NFL. Given the importance of the position it is necessary, if not essential, that teams facing the vexing question of QB development get that right. However, more often than not teams fail in this effort. One need only look at Chicago, and perhaps both the New York Giants and the New York Jets, to see how it can spin out of control.
This season provides us with three more examples of how organizations are handling rookie quarterbacks, and while they were each handled differently, you are seeing evidence that some in the NFL are realizing what is necessary for young quarterbacks to be successful, and how offenses can be tailored to make them friendly for rookie QBs.
Joe Burrow was installed as the starter immediately upon joining the Cincinnati Bengals, and Zac Taylor has installed him in an offense similar to what he was running at LSU. The Bengals use a lot of empty formations and five-man protection schemes, akin to the offense Burrow ran last season under Joe Brady and Steve Ensminger.
Justin Herbert was not the immediate starter, but upon taking over for an injured Tyrod Taylor, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen crafted an offense around him that played to his strengths. The Chargers have relied on vertical passing concepts that fit his game, as well as some play-action designs to give him an advantage against the defense.
Then there is Tua Tagovailoa in Miami. He took over for the Dolphins coming out of their bye week, and while he has just two starts under his belt, you can see that Chan Gailey has also crafted an offense built around his skill-set. With lots of spread designs, ways to get Tagovailoa on the move, and quick game concepts, Tagovailoa is in an offense similar to what he is running at Alabama.
While getting the quarterback in an offense suited to his skill-set is important, so too is what each individual passer brings to the table. The more time I spend thinking about the position and QB development, the more I believe that young quarterbacks need two skills to have early success in the NFL: Mobility, and an understanding of leverage.
Those might just be the non-negotiables.
Mobility
With the advent of spread offenses in the college game, more quarterbacks enter the NFL with athleticism as one of their calling cards. Kyler Murray is certainly one example of this, but Tagovailoa is another. Quarterbacks with the ability to be a threat almost as much with their legs as they are with their arms.
But not every quarterback needs to be a super athlete to check the “mobility” box. What is necessary, however, is that the quarterback has the ability to create space as a passer. Think more Tom Brady than Kyler Murray. No one would ever accuse Brady of being the best athlete to play the position, and one might scoff at Brady being called a “mobile” quarterback. But his mobility lies in the realm of being able to create space in the pocket to get off throws. If he is forced to move off the spot, he can still create outside of the pocket and/or off of structure.
All three of these quarterbacks check in favorably on this mobility question.
Take this play from Burrow against the Philadelphia Eagles:
This is more near the Brady side of the mobility spectrum, but it is necessary in today’s NFL given the athleticism on the defensive side of the football. Burrow feels pressure initially off the right edge, so he slides to his left to create space to get this throw off. But even with late pressure off the left edge – and in his face – he finds a way to create additional space for the throw, twisting his body away from the pressure just enough to get the pass off.
Here is an example from Herbert:
Herbert comes out of a play-action fake and immediately has pressure off the right edge and in his face. But he finds a way to evade that, all while keeping his eyes trained downfield. That enables him to find Keenan Allen on the late-developing crossing route for a big gain. Less mobile quarterbacks are either taking a sack, or throwing the football away. Herbert and the Chargers have a fresh set of downs.
Non-negotiable.
Then there is this from Tagovailoa:
From the athleticism needed to evade the pressure and climb the pocket, to the vision to find this receiver, to the athletic ability to make this throw, Tagovailoa shows you the other end of the quarterback mobility spectrum. This is an extremely athletic play and throw from the rookie.
The point is this. Given the athleticism on the defensive side of the football in today’s NFL, a rookie quarterback needs to be somewhere on the spectrum of mobility to be successful early. One does not need to be Tagovailoa – or even Herbert – to check that box and meet that non-negotiable, but having the ability to just create space with your feet, akin to Burrow, is a must.
Then there is the passing part of the equation.