5 Quarterbacks With Major Touchdown Upside for 2018

Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans

Like Cam Newton, Marcus Mariota's ability to score on the ground is huge for his upside, making up for a potential lack of passing touchdowns.

Since Mariota came into the league in 2015, he is tied for fifth among quarterbacks in red-zone rush attempts, despite playing only 42 games in that stretch -- the fewest in the top five.

The last two seasons have seen him up his rushing volume compared to where it was in his rookie year, notching 60 rushes in each of the last two seasons. That's good for an average of 4.0 per game, which compares favorably to his 2.8 carries per game as a rookie.

This trend has held up the red zone, with his carries inside the 20 increasing from 4 to 9 to 12 over his three seasons. Last year saw his attempts come from particularly high-scoring territory, with 8 of his 12 red-zone carries originating from inside the 10-yard line -- where 4 of his 5 rushing scores came from. Those 4 alone matched what had been his career total (from anywhere on the field) heading into the 2017 season.

The Tennessee Titans were among the six most run-heavy red zone teams in 2017, but with Mike Mularkey's "exotic smashmouth" out, they have added an offensive coordinator who seems to be less stuck in the 1960's in Matt LaFleur. LaFleur's Los Angeles Rams offense ranked eighth in pass-run ratio when games were within a seven-point margin last year, so we could see a more pass-heavy lean for Tennessee this season, both overall and in scoring range.

Mariota's ability to be involved in the rushing attack near the goal line gives him some insurance against unfavorable play-calling, while also giving his ceiling a nice boost if the Titans do end up throwing more when they're in scoring range this year.