Jeff Legwold, ESPN Senior Writer 6y

Case Keenum has survived, and now the Broncos want him to advance

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Whether the offense didn't fit, the offensive line didn't block or the Denver Broncos' quarterbacks simply lost their collective way in 2017, one of the biggest reasons why Case Keenum was signed is found in his résumé.

Keenum has jostled around quite a bit in his NFL career. He's been cut, benched, cast off and re-claimed before he constructed his best pro season in 2017, which included a playoff win as the Minnesota Vikings went 11-3 in games he started on the way to the NFC Championship Game.

"I've battled my way through to make a lot of teams, to earn spots on teams and to earn being the starter on teams," Keenum said. "I've been through a lot of different situations, and I'm definitely better for it. There are some tough times, and there are some really good times. To have a team pursue me ... that instills a lot of confidence in me, and I am ready to be that guy. I know I am, and I'm excited to be the Denver Broncos' quarterback."

The Broncos reeled in Keenum, who signed a two-year deal for $36 million, in the opening hours of free agency because they believe the 30-year-old is still an ascending player with the career setbacks that prove he knows how to get off the deck. Both president of football operations/general manager John Elway and coach Vance Joseph used the word "grit" to describe him.

And for a team that used three starting quarterbacks last season, with a "bad fit" on offense for much of the year (Elway's words), while finishing with the second-most turnovers (34) and second-most interceptions (22), grit is a good start to what's needed.

"The maturity level," Joseph said. " … Most guys like Case Keenum, when they play and survive, they get better and better each year … Those guys who play and survive, they get better. Most guys who play and don't survive, they're out of the league. For him to be here at this moment and be our guy, with what he's gone through as a free agent out of college, and the work he's put in with four or five teams, he's hardened because of that process. He's going to be good for us."

Former Broncos coach, and current senior personnel advisor, Gary Kubiak is someone Keenum credits for giving him an NFL chance as an undrafted rookie in 2012 when Kubiak was the Houston Texans coach. Keenum battled his way to be the Texans' starter in 2013, but they lost his first eight starts.

Keenum was cut by both the Texans and the Rams in 2014, playing both teams' practice squads that year, and in March 2015, the Texans traded Keenum back to the Rams for a seventh-round pick. In 2016, he started the Rams' first nine games of the season as the team's No. 1 pick -- Jared Goff -- waited to hear when he would take his inevitable spot in the lineup.

And then there was Keenum last season, playing as an injury replacement for Sam Bradford with a Vikings team with big aspirations and a talented roster. He threw for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns.

The Vikings won a playoff thriller over the New Orleans before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the conference championship. It's all why Elway said Keenum was the Broncos' target "all along."

"I think the two years is an opportunity for me to continue to prove myself as a starting quarterback, as a franchise quarterback and as someone that a team and a franchise can count on," Keenum said. "I think that made the most sense for my agents and I, and the deal they put together was great. For me, I've earned everything I've gotten. Nothing has ever been handed to me, and I want to continue to earn everything from this point on."

Former Rams coach Jeff Fisher said of Keenum: "Case, no matter what happened, never lost sight of doing the work, of leading our locker room and helping Jared see what the job is and how you have to do it … As a coach, Case is exactly the kind of player you want -- exactly."

For the Broncos, after two consecutive non-playoff seasons, including last year's 5-11, their choice at quarterback was their most important offseason decision. And in the end, Keenum was the Broncos' pick, not only for the good things he has done to get to this point, but how he handled adversity along the way.

"He was the best fit for us," Elway said. " … The grit that he has, the way that he plays the game. The way that he competes."

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