Does the addition of quarterback Joe Flacco make the Broncos a playoff team?

Kiz: Life is weird sometimes. Looking for respite from an arctic blast of winter in Wyoming last week, I sipped on a rye in Joe’s, which is proud to be the smallest bar in Rock Springs. And I was rocked by the news the Broncos had agreed to a trade for Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco. At first, I thought it must be a joke. Still do. Does football operations chief John Elway seriously think Flacco can be the key to a playoff run in 2019?

I was also surprised, since it seems like the Broncos were bidding against themselves for Flacco instead of waiting for him to get released. I highly doubt Elway believes Flacco is the key for the Broncos to be 2019 contenders. And Elway shouldn’t believe Flacco represents even a big piece toward returning to respectability. Over the last four years, Flacco is 24-27 as a starter with 64 touchdowns and 46 interceptions. He is a long way removed from his lights-out postseason in 2012 in which he led the Ravens to the Super Bowl. The Broncos need to add many more players to be playoff-good. Kiz: OK, I get it. The Broncos have had better luck during the past 20 years with quarterbacks plucked from the recycle bin than QBs they selected in the draft. But Flacco isn’t Peyton Manning. Despite his Super Bowl ring, Flacco isn’t even Jake Plummer. For going on four years, Flacco has been no better than a C-minus quarterback. I realize Elway didn’t pay a lot of to get Flacco. But, in this case, I’m afraid the Broncos will get exactly what they paid for: Case Keenum 2.0.

Ouch. The top two reasons I liked this trade (and still do considering they gave up a fourth-round pick and no guaranteed money remains) is it means the Broncos won’t (we think) trade up to draft a quarterback this year and Flacco isn’t Keenum. The Broncos’ Plan A is having offensive line coach Mike Munchak rebuild that subpar group to give Flacco time to throw and open running lanes for Phillip Lindsay and Royce Freeman. Kiz: Yes, it’s possible to imagine Flacco as more effective than Keenum, because it would be difficult to be much worse. But aren’t the Broncos still stuck with the worst quarterback in the AFC West? Does the addition of Flacco make Denver a 10-6 team? I doubt it. But if you trade for Flacco, what sense does it make to take a QB in the first round of this year’s draft? Is Flacco keeping the huddle warm until Elway makes a big play for a college QB in 2020?

Yes, Flacco will trail Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs), Philip Rivers (Chargers) and Derek Carr (Raiders). Is Flacco worth four wins? No way. Can he coax the Broncos to two additional wins and then coach Vic Fangio confuses opponents for two more wins? That is the Broncos’ best hope. It makes no sense to draft a quarterback in this year’s first round unless Elway does a bunch of wheeling and dealing to move down from No. 10 and then move back up into the latter part of the first round. Elway should already have his eyes on the 2020 quarterback class (Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Washington’s Jacob Eason, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, for starters). But if Flacco makes the Broncos even a little bit better, it will take a ransom to move up from Nos. 14-17 into the top four picks. That’s why Elway should take a quarterback in Round 2 or 3 this year.