After Case Keenum signed his two-year, $36 million deal with the Broncos, he said he was “excited to earn the right to be a leader.” The quarterback has done just that since arriving in Denver.
“The first thing is that he takes control of everything,” receiver Demaryius Thomas said, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “Not just offense but the whole group. Offense, defense, special teams and all. He takes control of the huddle. I know that I was in the huddle one day and I said, ‘Wait, wait, wait. We’re missing. . . ’ and he said, ‘I’ve got this,’ and I said, ‘OK.’ So, it’s stuff like that. It’s good to have him around. We’re still working to get that connection going.”
Keenum has called leadership a “daily mindset.” The Broncos, who have sought a leader at the position since Peyton Mannning’s retirement, have noticed.
Kennum has credibility, having led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game last season.
“You have a bona fide leader,” defensive end Shelby Harris said. “You have one guy that you can look toward, like, ‘This is our guy for the season.’ Don’t get me wrong, I thought Trevor [Siemian] was a great quarterback. I thought he did great things last year. And I think Paxton [Lynch] is a good quarterback. But when you have a QB battle, it’s like, ‘Who takes the reins? Who’s the one who steps up and is the leader?’ But this year with Case, you have a leader. You have a guy you can go to, a guy that has won games in the league. You saw what he did with the Vikings last year. So, it’s a great relief for our team to be able to have that guy for this year and hopefully for years to come.”