Russell Wilson Explains his Reluctance to Use his Legs on Gameday
Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is on pace for 25 rushes for 42 yards in 2022. That would be a far cry from even the 43 rushes for 183 yards and two touchdowns Wilson produced last year.
What helped launch Wilson into the company of the NFL's elite quarterbacks was his dual-threat play-making ability. He could win from the pocket and gash opponents with his legs.
So why the obvious reticence to use that tool in his belt since arriving with the Broncos? On Wednesday, Wilson did his best to explain it.
“I think we were getting the ball out really quick in the first game, [and] the second game, we were trying to make contested plays," Wilson said. "Really, when you have guys like [RB] Javonte [Williams] and [RB] Melvin [Gordon III] running the football—I mean, we rushed for 150-some yards. Just getting them the football as much as possible. I’m always ready to take off if I need to in certain situations, but it’s really—the guys have been doing a great job of just getting open, trying to work and make plays.”
Clear as mud.
Anyone who's watched Wilson's two games as a Bronco has seen the many yards he's left on the field that he could have picked up with his legs. On one hand, it's understandable that he would want to keep his eyes downfield and first look for receivers coming open on plays where the quarterback has had to go off-script.
On the other, doing so stubbornly in the face of easy pickings on the field runs the risk of rendering the 33-year-old QB one-dimensional. If NFL opponents no longer fear the threat of Wilson's scrambling for plus-yardage, it will come out in the wash in how defenses play him.
It's much easier to account for a quarterback a defense knows isn't a threat to advance the ball with his legs. Yes, the Broncos have two very good running backs in Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon, but we're not talking about planned rushing plays.
We're talking about Wilson taking what the defense gives him when a passing play breaks down, and he has to create off-script. Since Wilson opted to spin when it came to answering the point-blank question, allow me to speculate on why he's not using that potent aspect of his game.
It's not because all the 'magic' has left his legs, despite what the Seattle Seahawks would have you believe. Does Wilson, entering his age-34 season, have the same 'magic' in his legs that he did at 24 years old? Of course not. Nobody does, even the elite athletes of the world. Just based on the scrambling we've seen from Wilson as a Bronco, evading rushers behind the line of scrimmage, his legs still have juice.
That's not why Wilson's rushing production is basically nil. My educated guess is that it's more due to a coaching emphasis on the part of Nathaniel Hackett.
Hackett rested 99% of starters during the preseason, including Wilson, out of abject fear of injury. It stands to reason that, on the heels of giving Wilson a five-year extension worth $245 million, Hackett wants to be cautious in his usage.
Emphasizing caution, on the surface, isn't necessarily a bad thing. But if it locks a playmaker like Wilson in his head, making him too self-conscious about scrambling for plus-yardage, that means the QB is likely thinking too much out there on the grass, instead of reacting instinctually as he always has.
That's a problem.
Every quarterback has to be equally in command of his cerebral faculties as he is his physical — that's not what I'm getting at. I'm talking about being hyper-aware of protecting his body to the point where it becomes detrimental.
That's actually where a player can get himself hurt.
This is pure speculation on my part, but it is based on Hackett's philosophies, words, and actions. Combined with what we've seen from Wilson, and the QB's reluctance to speak frankly on the subject, that puts Broncos Country in the ballpark.
Regardless of what the impetus is for Wilson's reluctance to rush for yards, the bottom line is that the Broncos need him to use 100% of his formidable skill-set. That includes his legs.
Hopefully, Hackett and Wilson have noticed the yards left out on the field and have had a mighty change of heart. Because the Broncos need all the offensive firepower they can get this Sunday night vs. the visiting San Francisco 49ers.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen.
Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.
Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!
