Case Keenum can’t seem to get any love in the NFL. After signing a free agent deal with Denver this offseason, the former Minnesota Vikings quarterback may have to look over his shoulder once again as Denver Broncos general manager and executive vice president of football operations John Elway may still look to select a signal caller with the fifth pick in this month’s NFL Draft.
Sam Darnold figures to be gone by the time the Broncos pick fifth. Josh Rosen may be on the radar of the New York Jets with the third pick. Could Case Keenum battle the likes of Josh Allen of Wyoming or Baker Mayfield in 2019?
Right now, everything appears to be wide open.
As Elway said, via ESPN’s Jeff Legwold. ” … I’m betting we won’t know what direction we’re going to go until probably the day of [the first round] or the day before.”
The Denver Broncos brought Case Keenum in after he led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game before falling in the closing seconds to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Broncos signed Keenum to a two-year deal in free agency.
“The Broncos might not even have a shot at the presumed top four quarterbacks in the draft,” writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com. With the Browns owning the No. 1 and No. 4 selections, it’s possible a team could leap ahead of Elway to swipe a QB before Denver is on the clock. Elway also could be in a position where he needs to trade up one spot if his QB of choice is on the board at four and Cleveland is lining up a trade with another team — say the Buffalo Bills.”
Buffalo already traded up to the 12th pick in the first round. Another trade could be made if Lamar Jackson or Mayfield are at the top of Buffalo’s wish list. The Bills signed free agent quarterback AJ McCarron last month.
The Denver Bronos may also have its pick of running back Saquon Barkley, pass rusher Bradley Chubb or guard Quentin Nelson of Notre Dame. One thing Elway wants to do is keep everyone guessing which direction his team will go.
“It’s going to change from time to time; we’ll look at all the different scenarios,” Elway said. ” … We’ll have to do that when we set our board, set the quarterback position, in order, where we would have them and go through the scenarios.”