Denver Broncos made a move that does not surprise anyone, moving on from quarterback Joe Flacco after one season.
The Denver Broncos traded for quarterback Joe Flacco around this time last year in hopes of becoming a viable veteran to put the team back on the map offensively.
Unfortunately, the marriage backfired during the season. Today, the team decided to cut bait with Flacco making the transition to the Drew Lock era smoother.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Broncos waived Flacco with a failed physical designation.
Broncos just informed former Super-Bowl MVP Joe Flacco that he is being waived with a failed physical designation, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 19, 2020
Flacco now joins a group of free-agent QBs looking for work.
Three Super Bowl MVPs in headlines this week: Flacco waived, Foles traded, TB to TB.
Flacco is known for being a deep ball passer and throwing to every hash mark on a football field. It never happened in Denver. With young offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, Flacco’s (lack of) mobility was a liability.
The known bootlegs of a Shanahan system did not suit the skills of Flacco. There of course were other factors like the play of the offensive line. The protections created pressures from every part of the offensive line. Whether it came from inside or outside, pressure found Flacco and he found the turf. Yet, some of the sacks could have been averted if there were throwaways or better pre-snap reads. The fact of the matter is, the mesh was less than ideal.
One such example of the tumultuous relationship between Flacco and former offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello is the comments he made after the Indianapolis Colts loss. Flacco spoke to the media stating it felt like the team was afraid to lose.
While he was right to a degree, I’m not sure that was the time and/or place for Flacco to finally show some serious passion. That game was Flacco’s last with the Denver Broncos. Flacco suffered a neck injury that caused him to go on IR the week after the loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Denver would start Brandon Allen the next few games before moving on to Drew Lock for the final five weeks of 2019.
After the Broncos acquired Flacco, questions loomed again regarding the future of the position. Denver made a bold move trading up in the second round to select quarterback Drew Lock from Missouri. As we all know, the rest is history.
While Flacco was the starter day one, questions were brought up as to whether Lock would see the field earlier in the year. That never happened due to Lock’s thumb injury during the preseason.
Speaking of Lock and Flacco, there was one more thing that did not help the veteran with fans. Even though Flacco was right on some level, him saying he’s not here to mentor a young quarterback put him in hot water with the fans and media.
The fact of the matter is the mesh was not what many envisioned. Joe Flacco and the Denver Broncos marriage has ended and the Drew Lock era is ongoing. Despite how rough the 2019 season was early it ended with a glimpse of the future.