An anonymous defensive coordinator said Case Keenum is ‘a good backup’

Is Case Keenum a starting NFL quarterback? The Minnesota Vikings didn’t think so and at least one defensive coordinator in the NFL agreed in a recent ESPN article ranking all of the starting quarterbacks in the NFL where Keenum was ranked 23rd.

“He is one of those guys who will have a couple good years and then he will go to be a good backup and at the end of the day he is going to play 12-13 years in the league and he’ll be fine -- like Josh McCown,” a defensive coordinator said.

The Broncos aren’t asking Keenum to be a star. They want him to avoid the negative plays that doomed them last season, and to play well enough to win with a good defense on his side. While a head coach said he’s always liked Keenum and thought the QB showed himself to be a low 2, more voters placed Keenum in the fourth tier than in the second.

The harsh analysis of Keenum showed what many coaches felt about his ceiling as an NFL quarterback, but as we know here is that sometimes a higher ceiling is less important than a higher floor.

Case in point, Paxton Lynch might have the higher ceiling in talent, but it was Trevor Siemian who had the higher floor and the starting job in each of the last two seasons. Keenum’s floor is even higher.

With a great defense, I would much rather the Denver Broncos have a functioning quarterback who can run the offense efficiently on most days and let their defense go out and ensure they win games. I believe that is the receipt for success the Broncos have been looking for since Peyton Manning retired.