The Joe Flacco trade is just the latest in a decades-long string of evidence illustrating the NFL’s insatiable appetite for big-armed passers. John Elway can especially appreciate big-armed passers because he was one.
Elway’s game also hinged on strong out-of-pocket mobility. That’s never been Flacco’s forte, though Flacco is not the statue that his comportment and body type suggest. New Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello was hired to install a Kyle Shanahan-style scheme, which means a play-action passing game built off outside-zone runs looks. This approach naturally lends itself to bootlegs and rollouts.
Flacco can execute those designed-movement plays (recall that he did so effectively in 2014, Gary Kubiak’s one year as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator), but he’s in Denver primarily to offer a full-scope dropback passing game.