The deal sending quarterback Case Keenum from Denver to Washington is now official and there’s a fair chance that Keenum will wind up as the team’s starter in Week One of the regular season.
There’s also a fair chance that the team will look in another direction. While no one is expecting Alex Smith back from his leg injury, Colt McCoy remains on hand and Keenum’s reworked contract leaves the team on the hook for just $3.5 million in 2019. That leaves the door open for another move for a current NFL player and for the team to use a draft pick on a quarterback.
Washington head coach Jay Gruden addressed that possibility in a statement accompanying the announcement of the Keenum trade.
“We still may address it in the draft, who knows? But we have to have two quarterbacks in OTA’s and for someone to come in here and compete with Colt,” Gruden said. “We all feel great about Colt without a doubt but he’s had his injury history as well, and we anticipate a competitive camp with those two guys. And if we add a third guy via the draft or somewhere else, we’ll roll the ball out there and let them play, but I feel good about Colt and Case’s skillset; they are very similar so it’ll be easy to draw up plays for those two guys.”
Keenum struggled along with the Broncos last year and said that the experience “made me a better person” and made him tougher than he was in the past. He’s hoping for a more positive experience this time around, although his chances of reaching that goal might be tied to what else the team has in the works.