Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio spoke to the media at the 2020 Scouting Combine and did not mention Joe Flacco as a possible backup QB option.
Vic Fangio, who is attending the 2020 Scouting Combine without his assistant coaches this year in something of a pioneer effort (along with the Los Angeles Rams), spoke to the media on Tuesday and addressed a wide variety of Broncos and draft-related topics, including his team’s quarterback situation.
Fangio reiterated that he’s as comfortable as he can be at this point with Drew Lock as the projected starter for the 2020 season, but the team’s backup quarterback position could be in flux.
Fangio was asked whether he felt the Broncos’ backup needed to be a veteran with experience and he responded with this answer:
"“He doesn’t have to be (a) veteran. We just want to make sure we have a capable backup behind him. You know, (Brandon) Allen may be that guy, ‘Ryp’ (Brett Rypien) may be that guy, and we’ll look and see what else is out there. I don’t think it has to be veteran. Ryp and Allen were great guys for Drew when he took over and for him to be in those meetings beside them. From that angle, those guys could fulfill that part, too.”Vic Fangio (from Combine presser)"
Fangio was promptly asked about Joe Flacco after that in terms of Flacco’s health. He’s recovering from a neck injury that caused him to miss half of last season.
According to Fangio, Flacco still hasn’t been medically cleared but that the Broncos feel he will be.
Whenever he’s cleared medically, Fangio said:
"“We’ll see where he’s at versus where we’re at moving forward.”"
This is not a shocking bit of news by any means. Flacco’s massive cap hit this year, over $23 million, is not going to be just eaten up by the Broncos after Flacco’s play last season.
Unless Flacco is willing to rip up his current contract and take a massive pay cut, he’s not going to be back with the Broncos. The team simply can’t afford it and Flacco has made it known that he didn’t come to Denver to mentor a young guy. He was hoping to be the guy.
Since the Broncos have Pat Shurmur coming in to run the offensive side of the ball, it stands to reason that this team could get by with a few younger players at the position. Shurmur and quarterbacks coach Mike Shula have long been known for their ability to develop quarterbacks, so perhaps bringing in a rookie to backup Drew Lock isn’t out of the question.
It still feels more likely that the Broncos will look at the veteran market, and someone like Marcus Mariota would be the most interesting option based on his age, his need to rehab his image around the league, and his previous productivity which included leading a victory in Kansas City over the Chiefs in the 2017 playoffs.
We’ll see what happens, but if we connect these dots it sounds and feels like once Flacco is medically cleared, the Broncos will be able to release him without an injury settlement and save over $10 million in cap space.