The Denver Broncos' big move to acquire quarterback Joe Flacco was met with raised eyebrows by most of the football world.
The players on the team, however, seem to be on board with the veteran quarterback, provided it's followed by more additions.
"Big move by (John) Elway,'' receiver Emmanuel Sanderssaid in a text to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. "Veteran leader who has won the big game. We also have money to spend too in free agency as well. Looking forward to seeing more pieces put into place.''
The Broncos have about $37 million in cap space, per Over The Cap, 13th-most in the NFL.
On the surface, the move from Case Keenum to Flacco seems like a lateral decision by Elway. Flacco has struggled the last six years. Among 36 QBs with a minimum 1,000 pass attempts since 2013, Flacco ranks 35th in passing yards per attempt (6.5), 35th in touchdown percentage (3.5), 34th in TD-INT ratio (110-80) and 34th in passer rating (82.3), per NFL Research.
The success or failure of the Flacco trade will likely lean on Elway's subsequent moves, at the QB position and elsewhere.
"I like it,'' Chris Harris Jr. told Klis of the trade. "Hopefully we get more pieces around him."
The Broncos desperately need to figure out the offensive line issues that have plagued Elway's tenure. If Flacco has to play behind the offensive line as it was constructed in 2018, things could get uber ugly. Denver could also add to the receiver corps with Sanders coming off a torn Achilles, and the defense has more holes than appear at first blush.
Flacco is just the first player acquisition for a Denver team that needs many more moves to compete for a division title in 2019.
