Joe Flacco: What could he achieve with the Denver Broncos?
With the recent news that Joe Flacco will be headed to the Denver Broncos, is it fair to wonder what the 34-year old quarterback can do with a young team?
Has Joe Flacco been the most dominant quarterback of his era? Not even close. Has he been serviceable? Without a doubt. But when you place the proper weapons and tools around him, Joe Flacco is more than capable of winning games. Perhaps this is why the Denver Broncos elected to trade for Joe Flacco via the Baltimore Ravens.
Where the Ravens failed to give Flacco top-tier talent to work with, the Broncos can learn from these missteps. We’ve seen what a healthy, determined Joe Flacco can do for a team. 4,000 passing yards and 25 touchdowns is certainly within his realm of possibilities, especially with the young talent Denver possesses.
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Guys like Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton could greatly benefit from Flacco’s experience, and Sutton could emerge as a true X-receiver for the team. More on Sutton, he and Flacco could establish an excellent rapport together, as Sutton can do a little bit of everything. Flacco loves guys who can stretch the field, and while Sutton isn’t a deep-speed kind of receiver, he’s the perfect fit for the 50/50 ball mentality that Joe Flacco loves to throw.
The Broncos lucked themselves into undrafted rookie free agent Phillip Lindsay in 2018, who churned in a 1,000-yard rushing season in essentially 14 games (was disqualified early against the Ravens). Royce Freeman is no slouch himself, and fullback Andy Janovich makes this backfield a dangerous one. Flacco is always at his best with a good run game, and Denver certainly has that.
A familiar scene:
Joe Flacco loves himself some veteran receivers, and we can’t forget about the savvy Emmanuel Sanders. Sanders was on his way to his fourth 1,000-yard receiving campaign in the Mile High City before a ruptured Achilles end his 2018 season. If the team elects to cut Sanders, they could save $10.25 million in cap space, but keeping him to pair with Joe Flacco could be the smarter move. Maybe Sanders is slowing down because of age, but he is certainly more than capable of making big splash plays with Flacco at the helm.
Couple a receiver who’s been around the block with a dynamic defense and you have the recipe for a Joe Flacco resurgence. The Broncos possess one of the NFL’s better defenses, highlighted by pass rushers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. Those two alone combined for 26.5 sacks in 2018, forming one of the league’s most impressive pass rushing duos. Via the 2019 NFL Draft, the Broncos could always add guys like Devin White or Greedy Williams and make the unit that much stronger.
Speaking of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos still maintain the 10th overall pick. There’s a million-and-a-half directions the team can go with it. Maybe it’s defense, or maybe they draft a quarterback of the future, a la Drew Lock, to sit behind Flacco and learn? Will they grab an offensive play-maker to help win now, like wide receivers N’Keal Harry and D.K. Metcalf or tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Noah Fant? Whatever they decide, they can set themselves up nicely for the future.
Next. Joe Flacco: 5 biggest accomplishments with the Baltimore Ravens. dark
The Denver Broncos are getting slammed for this trade right now, but it could easily pay its dividends if Joe Flacco remains healthy and determined. With the weapons he has at his disposal and a nasty defense, Flacco should feel right at home in Denver. Whether you believe in him or not, the Broncos got themselves a winner who could take them over the top.