Case Keenum would be an underwhelming signing

Plenty of reports and rumors have swirled that the Denver Broncos are out of the Kirk Cousins derby and that he has already agreed to a deal with the Vikings. There are even some rumors out there that Cousins will sign a fully guaranteed contract with the Vikings. Either way, the odds of the Broncos signing Cousins appear to be bleak. Hell, he may not even visit the Broncos.

With Cousins now looking unlikely, the Broncos will turn their attention to their fallback options, mainly quarterback Case Keenum. He helped lead the Vikings to the NFC Championship game in relief of the injured Sam Bradford but they have obviously decided not to bring him back.

SI’s Albert Breer reported that the Broncos will be “heavy” on Case Keenum if they missed out Cousins.

The buzz is that the Broncos will be in heavy on Keenum if they strike out on Cousins. Same goes for the Vikings with McCarron. In both cases, the team kicked around the idea of trading for the quarterback in question over the last couple of years, so there’s history there. Which means each player may be compelled to slow-play his market, if Cousins takes his time

So its safe to assume that Keenum could very well be the veteran quarterback signed by John Elway and the Broncos. We can also assume if that happens that he will be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos come week one.

Honestly, this all has me underwhelmed and disappointed.

The Vikings themselves did not want Keenum, and their Head Coach Mike Zimmer was blunt and honest about Keenum’s talent and future with the team.

Zimmer questioned if Keenum will return to his breakout form in 2017 or return to the middling back he was prior to joining the Vikings.

“Is Case Keenum the quarterback he was last year or who he was three years ago? You’ve got to go on your gut, you’ve got to go on what you see, you’ve got to go on his heart. Case has big heart. He’s a great competitor. He studies his rear end off. He works an unbelievable amount of hours. The question is exactly what you’re asking: Is he this guy?

He also noted how Case was surrounded by a good team. He had a good one/two punch at running back. He had playmakers at wide receiver and one of the better tight ends in the league. He also had an improved offensive line to protect him and open up running lanes for Murray and McKinnon. Also, he had one of the leagues best defenses backing him up as well. So he had it pretty good in Minnesota.

Simple question to be asked here. If the Vikings do not want him and are taking some extreme measures to replace him, why should we want him?

Keenum will in all likelihood regress to his career average play away from the Vikings loaded roster that helped carry him to his 2017 play. So is really worth what the Broncos would have to pay him? The easy answer here is no.

If you sign Keenum and pair him with a rookie it is Trevor Siemian vs. Paxton Lynch all over again. Keenum is your hand-picked choice by Gary Kubiak going up against the top 5 or earlier pick at quarterback. There will be a competition and it will be deja vu.

This is not what I expected after an embarrassing season by the Broncos and their quarterbacks. My tune will likely change once they trade up or take a quarterback at five, but right now I am just a frustrated fan tired of mid-level or worst quarterback play.

Horse Tracks:

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Matt Bryant won't be hitting the open market next week. The Falcons announced on Monday that they have signed their longtime kicker to a new deal. Bryant, who expressed a desire to remain in Atlanta after the Falcons were eliminated from the playoffs, agreed to three more years with the team.