The RPO: Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders
Back when Raiders head coach Jon Gruden was doing the “Gruden’s QB Camp” show on ESPN, he once referred to the RPO (run-pass option) as the “Ridiculous Protection Offense.” Carr’s lack of success with it probably hasn’t changed Gruden’s mind. Last season, no quarterback had a lower passer rating on RPOs than Carr’s 68.3, which was accomplished with 12 completions on 15 attempts for 106 yards, seven air yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.
The screen pass: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
It’s kind of difficult to mess up a basic screen pass, but as much as Murray earned his 2019 Offensive Rookie of the Year award and looks to be a breakout MVP candidate in 2020, the screen was not a favorable part of head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s concepts. Murray posted by far the worst screen passer rating in 2019 at 48.9 (Josh Allen of the Bills was second-worst at 65.6), completing 12 of 17 screen passes for 38 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception. This may be one reason the Cardinals were more than okay with the idea of trading running back David Johnson to the Texans for (checks notes once again) DeAndre Hopkins.
In the pocket: Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Generally speaking, quarterbacks are prone to riskier, less-efficient throws when outside the pocket. But last season, Winston threw all 30 of his league-leading picks from the pocket — a truly amazing phenomenon. Winston also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw at least 30 touchdowns and 30 picks in the same season, but he threw only 28 of his 33 touchdowns from the pocket. To put this in perspective, Philip Rivers finished second in the league with 19 interceptions from the pocket. so in that ignoble regard, Winston truly set himself apart.
Outside the pocket: Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
In 2019. Mayfield was the NFL’s most efficient quarterback on designed rollouts, completing 16 of 20 passes for 285 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. So, you know how much things fell apart for him on non-designed plays outside the pocket when he finished the season with the lowest passer rating on such throws (49.3), completing just 33 of 87 passes for 326 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. New head coach Kevin Stefanski will hopefully give Mayfield more rollouts of the designed kind.