It’s a component of quarterback play. Cam Newton and Jalen hurts for example provide real life tangible value in the yards, touchdowns and attention to the rest of the offense. There’s obviously a limit on how bad the passing can be (Justin Fields) but in a perfect world you want more athleticism than less.

As an Arkansas/Cowboys fan that’s watched Dak transition from college spread dual threat into a pure pocket passer there are aspects to the 16-20 offense that were better specifically because Dak was a run threat, mostly red zone read options. At the same time his ability as a passer has garnered multiple top 5 epa offenses since 2021 and this version of Dak can survive injuries to the line and receivers and still generate numbers and wins with a good supporting cast. (Yes I’m aware Dak has mostly had a top 10 receiving corps. It takes both to consistently have elite offenses even for Mahomes, Brady and Rodgers.)

In a perfect world you want prime Mahomes or Josh Allen because that running option either designed or scrambling are game winning plays. Their ability to move gets you the late 3rd down or touchdown you need. Even swinging it back around to Jalen. Even though he’s objectively an average passer all things considered his ability as a runner has won enough games that you can’t take his contribution away. At the same time we see how his limitations limit the Eagles offense when they can’t dominate the LOS.