Before the Colts potentially trade Jonathan Taylor, they should think about what they could be walking away from.
While rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson is a bit of a mystery, he has a sky-high ceiling. With Taylor, they could form one of the most dynamic QB/RB rushing attacks in NFL history.
Richardson blew up the NFL combine with a 4.43 40-yard dash, 40.5-inch vertical and 10-foot, 9-inch broad jump at 244 pounds. He also ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns while leading all FBS QBs in yards per rush (6.3) last year.
He can do this:
Taylor won a rushing title in 2021 (1,811) while also leading the NFL in touchdown runs (18) before battling injuries in 2022.
He can make house calls too:
Colts head coach Shane Steichen was the Eagles offensive coordinator last year when Jalen Hurts and Miles Sanders helped Philadelphia finish fifth in rushing yards. Hurts led all quarterbacks in run-pass option (RPO) plays in each of the last two seasons, something you can expect a lot of from the Colts in 2023.
Those plays put defenders in conflict. Hypothetically, when Richardson sticks the football out to Taylor, defenders will be wondering at the mesh point whether Richardson is going to hand off, keep and run, or keep and throw.
All that would mean more running lanes for two of the most talented rushers at their respective positions.
Given the circumstances around Taylor and mystery around Richardson, it’s a big IF, but can you imagine the possibilities for this electric, rushing combo if both play to their potential?
Lucky for you I’ve been dreaming up benchmarks and comparisons for the Colts’ pair.
The ceiling for a rookie Richardson and Taylor this year is Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris. The duo rode the zone-read option to a playoff appearance and combined for 2,428 rushing yards in both of their rookie seasons in 2012, the most combined rushing yardage by a QB-RB pair in a season in NFL history according to SportRadar. They are also the only duo in NFL history to feature a QB with 500 rushing yards and a RB with 1,500 rushing yards in a season.
That got me and my fellow CBS Sports researcher Brian Coyle thinking about other rushing “clubs” for QB-RB combos. And this doesn’t extend to just rookies.
Here goes:
QB-RB Rush Yardage Clubs in NFL history
300 & 1,700
- David Archer & Gerald Riggs (1985 Falcons)
The 1985 Falcons are the only team in NFL history to feature a QB with 300 rushing yards and a RB to reach the 1,700-yard mark. I’ll forgive you if David Archer and Gerald Riggs weren’t the first QB-RB pair that came to mind for this club. Archer only started 23 games at QB in his NFL career, but held down the Atlanta QB1 job while rushing for 347 yards in 1985. You may have heard of Riggs, who ran for 1,719 yards that season and finished 40 yards behind Marcus Allen for the rushing title.
400 & 1,600
- Robert Griffin III & Alfred Morris (2012 Washington)
- Kordell Stewart & Jerome Bettis (1997 Steelers)
You already know what RG III and Morris did as rookies, and their numbers were so gaudy they are in four of these clubs, so let’s talk about Kordell Stewart and Jerome Bettis, one of two duos all-time to feature a QB with 400 rushing yards and a RB with 1,600 rushing yards. They win the award for best nicknames of any duo in these clubs. Can you imagine trying to stop “Slash” and “The Bus”? Good luck. Stewart got the nickname “Slash” because he could play so many different positions (QB/RB/WR) but you could have easily confused it for how fast he was. He ran for 476 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first season as Pittsburgh’s starting QB in 1997. Bettis rumbled his way to a career-high 1,665 yards that year as the Steelers rode “The Bus” and “Slash” to an AFC Championship game.
500 & 1,500 | 600 & 1,400
- Robert Griffin III & Alfred Morris (2012 Washington)
RG III and Morris are the only QB-RB duo in both the 500 & 1,500 club and 600 & 1,400 club. Griffin’s 815 rushing yards were an NFL rookie-QB record. I don’t think I’ll ever forget his long run up the sidelines against the Vikings. Morris’ 1,613 rushing yards were the most by a rookie since Eric Dickerson in 1983. He also frequented the end zone 13 times, which is great because that meant more of his patented home run celebration. This duo didn’t last long as Griffin’s ACL tear in the 2012 postseason is one of the bigger “What Ifs” in that franchise’s history.
700 & 1,300
Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley just became the third QB-RB duo in the 700 & 1,300-yard club in 2022. Jones set a Giants QB record with 708 rushing yards and Barkley backed it up with a career-high 1,312 yards. Both will be back in 2023 after signing new deals.
800 & 1,200
- Robert Griffin III & Alfred Morris (2012 Washington)
- Russell Wilson & Marshawn Lynch (2014 Seahawks)
Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch are the only duo in these clubs to win a Super Bowl together, although they didn’t do it in the season they became members of this very prestigious group. Lynch and Wilson sort of had a thunder and lightning thing going like Jerome Bettis and Kordell Stewart. Wilson ran for an astounding 849 yards in 2014 (you won’t see him putting up those numbers anymore) as Seattle frequently went to the zone-read option. He had three 100-yard rushing games that season. Lynch, who delivered “Beastquake,” shook up defenders to the tune of 1,306 yards in 2014. Ironically, neither Lynch nor Wilson ran the ball at the 1-yard line in Super XLIX as Seattle opted to pass. The rest is history.
900 & 1,100
- Michael Vick & Warrick Dunn (2004 Falcons)
If Lynch and Wilson were thunder and lightning, then Michael Vick and Warrick Dunn delivered a whole lot of electricity. The high voltage group is the only QB-RB duo with 900 rush yards and 1,100 rush yards in a season, respectively. Two of the fastest athletes on the planet lit up defenses in 2004. Vick racked up 902 yards and Dunn scampered for 1,106.
1,000 & 1,000
Two years later Vick and Dunn became the first QB-RB duo to each rush for 1,000 yards in a season. Vick was also the first QB to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. He was joined by Lamar Jackson in 2019, who joined the 1,000-1,000 club with Mark Ingram.
Those clubs all have at least one duo, but the Colts’ pair could even start their own club. There has never been a team with the league’s leading RB rusher and leading QB rusher in the same season since the NFL and AFL merged in 1970. Taylor has already won a rushing title and while there’s plenty of rushing competition at the quarterback position for Richardson, he could lead the pack one day.
HONORABLE MENTIONS: If you’ve enjoyed this exercise, here are a few honorable mentions for QB-RB rushing duos. I promise you’ll enjoy at least reading the names.
There have been 18 instances since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger of a team with even a top-3 rusher among both running backs and quarterbacks. It hasn’t happened since 2012 with Robert Griffin III and Alfred Morris for Washington and Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch for the Seahawks.
Other duos on the list that didn’t pop up in the clubs above include Vince Young and Chris Johnson, Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook, Steve Young and Garrison Heart, and Jim McMahon and Walter Payton.
Teams with a top-3 QB & RB in rush yards since 1970
- 2012 Robert Griffin III & Alfred Morris (Washington)
- 2012 Russell Wilson & Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks)
- 2009 Vince Young & Chris Johnson (Titans)
- 2007 Tarvaris Jackson & Adrian Peterson (Vikings)
- 2007 Donovan McNabb & Brian Westbrook (Eagles)
- 2000 Daunte Culpepper & Robert Smith (Vikings)
- 1998 Steve Young & Garrison Hearst (49ers)
- 1997 Kordell Stewart & Jerome Bettis (Steelers)
- 1990 Rodney Peete & Barry Sanders (Lions)
- 1988 Steve Pelluer & Herschel Walker (Vikings)
- 1985 David Archer & Gerald Riggs (Falcons)
- 1985 Jim McMahon & Walter Payton (Bears)
- 1984 Jim McMahon & Walter Payton (Bears)
- 1982 David Woodley & Andra Franklin (Dolphins)
- 1980 Vince Evans & Walter Payton (Bears)
- 1975 Terry Bradshaw & Franco Harris (Steelers)
- 1975 Bert Jones & Lydell Mitchell (Colts)
- 1970 Fran Tarkenton & Ron Johnson (Giants)
Of course, we don’t even know when Richardson will win the Colts’ starting QB job. We don’t know if Taylor will be traded. If he remains a Colt, would it be crazy for Richardson and Taylor to join one of these clubs at some point as teammates? I think not. A man can dream at least.
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Author: Douglas Clawson
August 4, 2023 | 10:45 am
