There isn’t a time in his starting career that QB Lamar Jackson did not lead the Baltimore Ravens in rushing. Even now, his 327 rushing yards on the season are currently the most for the team this year, nearly 50 yards ahead of RB Gus Edwards.
It’s always been a very significant part of his game and always will be. Coming out of college, many evaluators felt that it should be the core, even the single focal point, of his game—that he should literally switch positions to running back.
He didn’t, and that proved to be a wise decision, but while his passing may be “not bad for a running back”, he still has running back attributes that serve him well as a quarterback. it’s obvious when you watch him play, and certainly to Ravens offensive coordinator Tod Monken.
“He has [the] vision of a tailback”, he told reporters of Jackson last week when asked what impresses him the most about when he does run. “What he sees, and when he decides to take off and run, that’s what has been impressive”.
Jackson is already fifth all-time in rushing yards among quarterbacks in NFL history, having passed Hall of Famer Steve Young late last year. By the end of the season, he should become the fourth quarterback ever to reach 5,000 career rushing yards in the regular season, currently sitting at 4,764.
And barring some significant injury, there seems little standing in his way of overtaking the all-time record within the next two to three years. Mike Vick holds the record at 6,109 yards, a mark that he could conceivably reach by the end of 2024. Second is Cam Newton at 5,626, followed by Russell Wilson at 5,116 and Randall Cunningham at 4,928. Wilson is the only moving target, having only crossed the 5,000-yard threshold earlier this season. But none of them run quite as Jackson does.
“When you ask him to run the ball up inside, he has toughness and vision”, Monken added. “That’s probably the biggest thing – toughness and vision that some guys don’t have. They may be athletic, but they don’t have a great feel for rush or running lanes, and he does have that. It’s unique”.
Jackson actually gets criticism at times because he’s so good at running. His skill set in that area is so strong that it overshadows his ability to throw from the pocket, for example. That’s not to say that there aren’t valid criticisms of his overall game, even today, but he wasn’t a running back five years ago and he still isn’t today. He should be commended for his multi-dimensional arsenal.
