The Ravens just took out a $3 million insurance policy on Joe Flacco, and it will turn out to be a bargain whether or not veteran Matt Schaub ever throws a pass for them in a regular season game.
Flacco is one of the most durable players in the NFL and has never missed a regular season start, which might tempt a team to gamble on his continued good health and use that salary cap space elsewhere.
Not the Ravens. They know that this season presents another opportunity to go deep into the playoffs and losing your franchise quarterback -- even for a handful of games -- likely would prevent that unless the team has a very capable backup.
Tyrod Taylor did a fine job of holding down the reserve quarterback position, and the Ravens always projected confidence that he could hold things together in Flacco's absense, but he had no real NFL experience and he was a far different style of quarterback. He's a talented guy, but the Ravens are lucky they never needed to turn the offense over to him.
He'll get a fresh start with the Buffalo Bills, who recently signed him to a three-year, $3.35 million contract.
Schaub is a highly-experienced quarterback who will be satisfied in this role and be ready to play in high-pressure situations if necessary. He's the right choice for a competitive situation that requires instant leadership and stability.