Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston’s underrated strength

Jameis Winston may have some questionable aspects of his game but there is one indisputably good part; his ability to extend plays with his legs.

Many fans watch nervously nearly every time as Jameis Winston goes to throw a pass. Sometimes the throws are magical while other times it leaves the entirety of Raymond James Stadium in shocked silence.

While the accuracy will hopefully start to improve soon, fans should be in agreement on the fact that Jameis Winston is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL at extending plays with his legs.

Jameis was never what anyone would consider a dual-threat. His speed is not his strongest skill as he was clocked on his 40 time at the Combine at just shy of 5 seconds coming in at 4.97.

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Despite this lack of elite speed, Jameis is rarely stationary in the pocket and can still elongate a play as well as any of the speedier quarterbacks in the league.

The Buccaneer offensive line was not good in 2019 but it was also by no means the worst in the NFL. Football Outsiders ranks the Buccaneer pass protection at 22nd in the league which places them just outside of the top half of the NFL.

Jameis was sacked 47 times in 2019 which one has to believe would have been a more common occurrence if he was unable to do what he does. It probably also could’ve been lower if Jameis held the ball for less time but that is an argument for a different day.

Winston lives outside of the pocket and is great at throwing on the run. A stagnant quarterback would be eaten alive in the current Buccaneer offense with this offensive line.

Winston is also great at picking up the important yards with his legs. When the pocket collapses and Jameis is forced to scramble for a first down he often finds success despite his speed.

There has been more than one occurrence of Jameis Winston using a juke move or a stagger to send a linebacker flying and allowing himself a free lane to the first down marker.

Winston finished the 2019 season at 9th overall in quarterback rushing yards and was able to rack up 250 yards and a touchdown on 59 carries for 4.2 yards per carry.

Jameis’ ability to improvise is both a gift and a curse. This improvisation leads to glory as well as failure. Regardless of the result, Jameis can turn a dead play into one that at least has a pulse consistently and this is a skill that is extremely important in the modern NFL.