The Baltimore Ravens found a reliable signal-caller in Joe Flacco when they took him in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
However, this was roughly 9 years ago, and Flacco obviously isn’t going to last forever. As Flacco enters his twilight years, should the Ravens begin looking for a successor that they can begin developing while they still have ample time?
The answer is an easy yes.
Obviously, this need doesn’t supersede their holes at the corner back and safety positions, but the Ravens do not currently have a solid backup QB. This was plain to see when Flacco was absent and replaced by the backup trio of Matt Schaub, Jimmy Clausen and Ryan Mallett.
Mallett still remains on the roster, in addition to practice squad QB Dustin Vaughan, but neither looks solid enough to replace Flacco in a back-up role, much less in the post-Flacco future.
Plus, it doesn’t look like Mallett is going to be with Baltimore much longer. He is set to enter unrestricted free agency this offseason, and there is no indicator that he’ll be re-signed by the team.
With this, the Baltimore Ravens is left with just Vaughan, who has yet to prove anything up to this point.
In light of poor performances by AFC teams entering the playoffs without their starters, the Ravens have recognized that not being set at the backup position will most certainly cause them major problems in the future.
“You have to have two quality quarterbacks in this league to be successful year-in and year-out,” General Manager Ozzie Newsome said during the season-review press conference.
“We realize that Joe is one play away from being injured. We have seen that.”
Look for the Baltimore Ravens to pick a quarterback in one of the later rounds of the draft, or to begin looking to for a backup prospect in the free agency very soon.
Crissy Froyd is a current student residing in Spring,Texas. She currently covers sports for The Bank, USA TODAY – Titans Wire and the Fansided Network. Her work has also been featured on FOXsports.com and Yahoo! Sports. Crissy is enrolled at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is majoring in Mass Communications. Find her on Twitter @crissy_froyd.