Why Case Keenum is the perfect fit for what the Broncos want to do

DENVER — The Peyton Manning era in the Mile High City was nothing short of spectacular.

It was fun, entertaining, historic and wildly successful.

No. 18 led the Denver Broncos to division dominance with his once-in-a-generation football I.Q., lit up the league with his self-proclaimed rocket-laser arm and brought the organization its third championship with his unparalleled leadership.

That’s why, when it was clear Denver was in the market for a quarterback this offseason—some two years after P.F.M. called it quits—many people believed John Elway had his sights set on the top signal caller out there, whether it be Kirk Cousins or Drew Brees.

But this isn’t the good ol’ days with Manning anymore; this is a different time in the proud organization’s history.

There’s a different coaching staff in town, a drastically different roster and even a different front office. And, maybe most importantly, there’s a different mindset of how the team wants to win.

That’s just why the Broncos’ new quarterback, Case Keenum, fits the bill.

“It’s about fit. You have to find a guy that fits your football profile. It’s not about the numbers or the names. It’s about the perfect fit,” Broncos’ head coach Vance Joseph said at the NFL Combine, explaining what the team was looking for in their next quarterback before the team signed Keenum on Monday night. “The best teams win. You have to have a guy that fits your football mindset. Who fits that formula for us? It’s all about fit.”

For Joseph and the Broncos, it wasn’t about getting the biggest name, or talent, available; it was about getting the quarterback that would allow them to foster a team around him. Sure, Cousins would have almost guaranteed a 4,000-yard passing season year in and year out, but he also would have cost significantly more than Keenum, taking away resources from the rest of the team.

On top of that, slinging the ball around through the air isn’t what the Broncos want to do.

“In Denver, we want to play great defense all the time and run the football,” Joseph said, divulging his vision for the Broncos moving forward. “I thought we had that last year. We had our first 1,000-yard rusher for the first time in a long time in Denver. That part I thought we had.”

Critics of the Keenum signing would argue that that same formula led the Broncos to their worst record in the Elway era last season, finishing a dreadful 5-11.

However, there’s one major difference between last year’s quarterback play and the future under Keenum.

“We turned the ball over at a rapid rate. That was obviously our major issue,” the second-year coach said, not surprising anyone. “We have to play better at the quarterback position. That’s got to get fixed. We’re going to address that.”

And boy did they. Last year, through the combination of Trevor Siemian, Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch, the Broncos had the second-most interceptions and turnovers in the entire league, only beating out the 0-16 Cleveland Browns.

Their new quarterback, on the other hand, had the third-fewest interceptions in the league (7) for any signal caller that started more than half the games. In fact, Keenum’s 1.5 interception percentage was only topped by Tom Brady, Tyrod Taylor and Alex Smith.

At the combine, less than two weeks before signing Keenum, Joseph’s boss, No. 7, echoed his plan for success moving forward: Play great defense, run the ball and reduce turnovers—specifically from the quarterback position.

With Keenum’s career 46-27 touchdown to interception ratio, the Broncos checked off one of their three pillars for success.