DENVER, CO – OCTOBER 17: Joe Flacco #5 of the Denver Broncos sets to pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the third quarter at Empower Field at Mile High on October 17, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images)
The New York Jets need an experienced backup for Sam Darnold, and Joe Flacco now looks like the most obvious fit.
Sam Darnold is not going anywhere as the New York Jets’ starting quarterback, but it’s clear the team is looking to add experience behind him. News of their interest in Andy Dalton surfaced before he signed with the Dallas Cowboys, and ESPN’s Rich Cimini has more recently reported the interest was mutual.
The Jets aren’t signing Cam Newton, that is certain. But Joe Flacco looks like a great fit.
Flacco started eight games for the Denver Broncos last season, before a neck ended his season. He only recently had neck surgery, in early April according to NFL insider Adam Caplan, but he is tentatively expected to be ready to play by Week 1.
The Jets are 0-6 in games Darnold has not started over the last two seasons. Last year was a particular low point, when Darnold was sidelined by mono and Trevor Siemian (one start) and Luke Falk (two starts) took over. In those games, the Jets were outscored 84-23 on their way to a 1-7 start.
Behind Darnold on the depth chart right now is David Fales and James Morgan. Fales has 48 regular season pass attempts in his career (42 in one game), and Morgan is a rookie sixth-round pick out of Florida International.
Flacco of course has plenty of experience over 12 NFL seasons, most with the Baltimore Ravens. More precisely, he has 171 regular season starts, 15 playoff starts and a Super Bowl MVP on his resume. He surpassed Fales’ career pass attempt total in one game last year (50 attempts in Week 2 against the Chicago Bears).
Jets general manager Joe Douglas was an area scout for the Ravens back in 2008, when they took Flacco in the first round of that year’s draft. Beyond that past tie, Flacco is an ideal backup for Darnold and he stands above the other options of that ilk (Blake Bortles, Drew Stanton, etc.).