10 best dual-threat NFL quarterbacks

The NFL is currently blessed with an elite group of diversely talented quarterbacks.

New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is one of the best passers in his class. However, this four-time Super Bowl champion is hardly a guy that poses a threat to opposing defenses when on foot.

On the opposite side, some quarterbacks are very agile rushers as well as capable passers. The following quarterbacks fit into this category and are the best dual-threats in the NFL.

1. Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

After recording a total of 45 touchdowns, including 10 on the ground in 2015, the MVP commands attention atop of this list.

An absolute double-threat beast on the field, Newton tallied 3,837 passing yards and 636 rushing yards last year. Since being drafted No. 1 overall by Carolina in 2011, Newton has averaged an astounding 641.4 ground yards and 8.6 rushing scores per year.

When defenses prepare to take on the Panthers, they can expect Newton bolt on foot an average of 7.5 times per game.

Due to his freak athleticism, Newton is at times completely unstoppable. He is also unpredictable, which makes him a nightmare to contain.

Front-flipping into the end zone may make head coach Ron Rivera cringe, but Super-Cam will stop at nothing when it comes to scoring for his team.

Newton’s technique gets the job done. Barring injury, not much looks to change in the near future.

2. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Since being drafted in 2012, Wilson has improved tremendously as a passer while maintaining an average of 607.5 rushing yards per season.

Last year, he achieved career-highs in passing yards (4,024) and passing touchdowns (34). Not to mention, Wilson managed his highest pass completion percentage rate of 68.1 as well in 2015.

Commendably, he was only intercepted eight times in 329 passing attempts while putting up these numbers.

Defenders will likely not see the dual-threat quarterback taking flight into the end zone as often as Newton. But, they can expect to be incredibly challenged by Wilson’s shifty agility on the ground.

As one of the most talented quarterbacks in the business, Wilson will continue to keep opposing defenders working hard for their money while he comes up with new ways to outsmart them.

3. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Rodgers ranks right up there as one of the most elite passers in the NFL.

After all, since starting for the Packers in 2008, Rodgers has tallied 32,399 passing yards and 257 scores through the air. He is also a five-time Pro-Bowler, two-time MVP and one-time Super Bowl champion.

Though, Rodgers can also stun on run plays when defenses are least suspecting.

He has averaged 271.8 rushing yards and 2.6 touchdowns per season as a result. Furthermore, Rodgers rushed for the most yards of his career (344) just last season at a pace of 5.9 yards per attempt.

Just when defenses are prepared to watch Rodgers launch a rocket, he can pull off a sneaky run play perfectly. In excellent physical health, Rodgers does not appear to be anywhere near surpassing his prime.

4. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts

Along with Luck’s coaches, team and family, we will sweep his unfortunate 2015 injury season under the rug and recognize how talented the quarterback is.

When Luck was healthy, he averaged 4,319 passing yards and 28.6 touchdowns during his first three seasons in the league. He will look to improve on these numbers now that the Colts took better measures to improve their offensive line through the draft.

Luck has also excelled on the ground and has maintained an average of 4.2 rushing attempts per game. At 6-foot-3, and 235 pounds, defenders have a difficult time stopping him in action. He has averaged 5.0 yards over 222 rushing attempts.

If Luck can bounce back to 100 percent, the Colts stand another great chance of making it to the postseason once again.

5. Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs

Smith is truly evolving into one of the league’s multi-talented quarterbacks. He has improved vastly since signing on with the Chiefs in 2013.

Smith’s rushing attempts when he was quarterbacking for the 49ers looked more runs to avoid trouble. But since joining Kansas City, Smith has averaged 4.54 rushing attempts per game. Rather than looking like he is in a panic on foot, he capably avoids defenders and has escaped injury.

On the other side of the field, Smith just passed for a career-high 3,486 yards in 2015. Accurate as a passer, Smith has only thrown 30 interceptions compared to 91 touchdowns since 2011.

Armed with some of the best receiving talent in the league, Smith should continue to excel on all levels this year.

6. Jameis Winston, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Winston shocked many when he made some bold moves on the field in his rookie year,

Especially head-turning was the couple of times when the young quarterback went up into the air to score. In all, Winston delivered an impressive six rushing touchdowns.

Winston has since shed a bit of weight, which should only make him more aerodynamic when he makes plays on foot this year.

Furthermore, Winston made his mark as a promising passer in his first season. Not every rookie crosses the 4,000 passing-yard threshold right out of the gate. Winston will hopefully improve on his 58.3 percent pass-completion rate this year.

If anything, Winston proved to the Bucs that they did the right thing in choosing him No. 1 overall in 2015.

7. Tyrod Taylor, Buffalo Bills

Taylor had a blockbuster season starting games for the first time in his career in 2015. This was after playing four years as a backup in Baltimore.

He also recorded the second-most rushing yards (568) for quarterbacks in 2015 and scored four touchdowns on foot. Had Taylor played in all 16 games, he would have been on target to surpass Newton’s 636 rushing yards.

Although, all the hype for Taylor is not just because of his ground game.

Taylor recorded 3,025 passing yards and 20 touchdowns compared to only six interceptions. He is bound to improve on these numbers with Sammy Watkins and his his talented pass-catching running backs.

A gem to watch, Taylor showed enough in 14 games to establish himself as a legitimate double-threat quarterback.

8. Blaine Gabbert, San Francisco 49ers

One year ago, nobody would have selected Gabbert to be featured on a top 10 anything list.

Although, Gabbert’s career took a pivotal turn when he was called upon to relieve Colin Kaepernick of his duties in the middle of 2015.

During his eight starts, Gabbert achieved a career-high 63.1 percent pass completion rate. He would have been on course to pass for 4,062 yards had he played all season.

In addition, Gabbert exhibited Newton-like speed on foot. He averaged 5.8 yards per carry and rushed for a total 185 rushing yards in his eight starts. Though, this should not come as too much of a surprise considering Gabbert clocked a 4.62 on his 40-yard dash back at the NFL Scouting Combine.

He remains the front runner in the 49ers’ starting quarterback comprtition. Should Gabbert come out ahead, we might see more of plays like this in the upcoming months.

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9. Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars’ stock is on the rise, and that has a lot to do with the their budding talent at quarterback.

Bortles improved by leaps and bounds as a passer, increasing his yards to 4,428 from 2,908 in his rookie season. He also connected with his receiving corps for 35 touchdowns. There were 18 interceptions along the way, but overall Bortles’ touchdown to interception ratio was far better than his draft year.

Plus, opposing defenses also have to keep the 6-foot-5 quarterback contained on foot. Bortles has attempted an average of 3.6 rushing plays per game since the start of his career and has averaged 6.8 yards per carry.

The Jaguars have a star in the making when it comes to Bortles and his array of talents on the field.

10. Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

When Mariota was drafted by the Titans in 2015, the team quickly designed plays to fit his unique skill set.

The Titans were surely taking into account Mariota’a average of 745 rushing yards during each of his three years at Oregon State. Last year, Mariota did not hit the ground running nearly as often as fans might have expected. Although, he did average 21 rushing yards per game.

Defenses should still be prepared to deal with Mariota as a possible threat on the ground this year, keeping in mind what he is capable of.

Furthermore, Mariota is slated to evolve as a passer. Improvements to the Titans’ offensive line and tnhe addition of a stud running back tandem should keep Mariota taking less hits. In the 12 games Mariota played in his rookie year, he completed 62.2 percent of his passes and kept his interceptions down to 10.

Great things seem to be on the horizon for the Titans, who have created the perfect environment for Mariota to thrive as a dual-threat passer.