The Denver Broncos were among the teams that were able to bounce back nicely from their attempt to acquire Kirk Cousins this offseason. They now have the quarterback who they claim was their ‘first option' all along in in Case Keenum.

Needless to say, Keenum is expected to lift Denver back into playoff contention. And according to ESPN's Jeff Legwold, head coach Vance Joseph is hoping quarterback Paxton Lynch can learn a thing or two from Keenum about becoming a franchise quarterback:

“He’s one play from being the starter again,” Joseph said. “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.”

There is plenty of truth to Joseph's comments. Despite being the most decorated passer in NCAA history, Keenum was still on the verge of becoming an NFL journeyman before his stellar stint with the Minnesota Vikings. That said, there is plenty for Lynch to take away from the veteran's career when it comes to paying dues.

The Broncos endured quite the quarterback carousel in the 2017 NFL season which ultimately led to their downfall. However, it seems that general manager John Elway still has enough faith in Lynch to live up to his potential after two underwhelming years.

Elway's decision should come as no surprise considering Lynch was considered a raw prospect going into the 2016 NFL Draft. He proved as much with his rocky performance under center last season. Regardless, it seems both Elway and Joseph feel he still has plenty of upside moving forward as the backup behind Keenum.