Ed McCaffrey on Broncos’ trade for Joe Flacco: ‘We know John Elway swings for the fences’

As far as Ed McCaffrey is concerned, the Denver Broncos’ trade with the Baltimore Ravens for Joe Flacco is consistent with the way the man running the Broncos operates.

John Elway, the Broncos’ Hall of Fame quarterback who is their general manager and president of football operations, fully understands that the club won’t be get where it wants to go without a top-notch QB.

‘They’re expecting more from that position’

So it made perfect sense to McCaffrey that Elway would pull the trigger on the deal to give up a fourth-round pick for Flacco in a transaction that won’t become official until the new league year begins on March 13.

“Obviously, John Elway felt, ‘To give you guys what you need to win on the field, our defense should be improved but we want to upgrade the quarterback position,’” McCaffrey, a former Broncos receiver and current SiriusXM NFL Radio co-host, told Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Movin’ The Chains. “And taking nothing away from Case Keenum, because I thought he went out there and did pretty decently with what he had, they’re expecting more from that position. And we know that John Elway swings for the fences. His goal isn’t to have a winning season. His goal isn’t to get to the playoffs. His goal is to win a Super Bowl. That’s the only way that guy’s wired.”

‘He knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl’

McCaffrey sees the logic behind acquiring Flacco, given his Super Bowl MVP pedigree and veteran presence.

“He’s a big, tall guy with a strong arm who wants to win and is competitive. Players will listen to him, players will follow him if he leads by example.”

“He knows what it takes to win a Super Bowl,” McCaffrey said. “He’s a big, tall guy with a strong arm who wants to win and is competitive. Players will listen to him, players will follow him if he leads by example. I think you need that in your quarterback. The teams that don’t have it are at a big disadvantage. I think Joe Flacco will be that guy. He’s a pretty serious guy. And he leads in his own way, but the guy’s got ice water running through his veins.”

‘If he can stay healthy and play at a high level, he might be the kind of quarterback they’re looking for’

“People argue he hasn’t been consistent enough for their liking, but his upside, if he can stay healthy and play at a high level, he might be the kind of quarterback they’re looking for here – strong-armed quarterback who makes good decisions. They’re not going to ask too much of him, but they think it’s an uptick in quality at that position. So I think that’s what John Elway is doing – he’s trying to upgrade every position and it starts with the quarterback.”

Although McCaffrey believes Flacco provides an immediate answer for the Broncos, he thinks it’s equally important that the team has solid depth at the position.

‘This is just me, I need to have depth at quarterback’

“Joe’s not the long-term answer,” McCaffrey said. “Could he last three years as your guy? Yeah, why not, if he’s healthy. Do you want to bring in a guy before that to be groomed? This is just me, I need to have depth at quarterback. I have this conversation all the time with analysts and GMs and coaches, that if nothing else that guy’s a security blanket for you. It’s an insurance policy.

“If your quarterback starter goes down, you want to know that the number two guy – and some teams don’t even have three quarterbacks on the roster – our season’s not going to tank if something happens to our starter.”