For the first time since Peyton Manning decided to retire, the Denver Broncos head into training camp with a clear-cut starter for the 2018 campaign after inking quarterback Case Keenum to a two-year, $36 million deal.
With Keenum in place, this has already given the Broncos what they believe a huge benefit heading into next season as offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave pointed out gives the team the chance to fully ingrain in the offensive game plan, according to Aric DiLalla of the Denver Broncos official website.
“Case is working hard,” Musgrave said. “It’s a new system for him, it’s a new system for everybody. Case is getting — exclusively — all the reps with the ones. We’re not splitting them like you would if you didn’t have an established starter, so he’s getting more concentrated work, and it’s paying dividends.”
In the last two seasons, the Broncos had struggled at the quarterback position that saw Trevor Semien experience an up-and-down tenure over the last two seasons as the starter. At the same time, Paxton Lynch hasn't shown the development the team would have hoped to see him in his first two seasons while bringing back Brock Osweiler turned out to be another failure as he continued to be a liability on the field this past year.
Keenum has a chance to build off his impressive 2017 season with talented team around him proven former Pro Bowl wideouts in Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Saunders to lean on in the passing game. The 30-year-old will likely at the very least provide much-needed stability under center that will allow for the defense to play more effectively than over the last couple of seasons.
Beyond that, this may be a chance for the Broncos to finally push themselves back into the playoff picture now that they possess a possible stabilizing factor under center.
