The Broncos signed quarterback Case Keenum to a two-year contract this month and the team has been scouting this year’s quarterback class with the draft approaching, neither of which seem to bode all that well for Paxton Lynch’s future as a starter in Denver.
The team has said that they aren’t getting rid of Lynch and coach Vance Joseph said Tuesday that the 2016 first-round pick’s presence on the roster is a factor as they decide what to do with the fifth overall pick in this year’s draft. Joseph also said that he thinks Lynch will benefit from Keenum’s presence.
“He’s one play from being the starter again,” Joseph said, via ESPN.com. “He has value, and it’s huge value. He’s working hard at it also. That’s the thing no one sees. He’s a hard worker. He’s working at it. Having an example of Case Keenum is going to help him. Case has been through hell and back as a quarterback ... Case is gritty. That helps a young quarterback to say, ‘You know something, man? Forget the world. It’s about you grinding and getting better every day.’ If Paxton gets that from Case, he’s going to be better for it because Case is a gritty dude. That’s going to be good for Paxton to see and be around every day.”
Keenum’s rise with the Vikings last year is certainly a story that every backup quarterback would love to emulate, but the draft could leave a different quarterback in that position for the Broncos.