Cleveland Browns: Case Keenum a valid option
By Randy Gurzi
With some big names being thrown around this offseason, why shouldn’t the Cleveland Browns instead look at Case Keenum to play quarterback in 2018?
If the Cleveland Browns are in fact in the market for a veteran option at quarterback in 2018, one may have just come available. There’s been talk since the season ended that Case Keenum could hit the open market, and that’s all but been but decided.
Rumors have picked up recently that the Minnesota Vikings are about to go all in for Kirk Cousins, another name that at one point was linked to Cleveland — although mostly by those on the outside who merely speculated.
In going for Cousins, the Vikings are prepared to let both Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater test free agency. For the Browns, this should be intriguing because Keenum is as good an option as any out there, and may not have the hefty price tag.
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After bouncing between the Houston Texans and the Rams, Keenum landed in Minnesota in 2018. When starting quarterback Sam Bradford went down injured, the former University of Houston star stepped in. He won 11 games as a starter while completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 3,547 yards with 22 touchdowns to just seven picks.
That’s more wins than Kirk Cousins has ever sniffed, yet there’s no $30 million price tag being associated with Keenum. He’s also way more experienced with 38 career starts than another popular option — A.J. McCarron.
McCarron has just three career starts, and is more question than answer. Keenum on the other hand has played well whenever given the chance — except for 2016 when he had Jeff Fisher as a head coach, but everyone on that team looked better after Fisher was gone (see Nick Foles and Jared Goff for other examples).
For his career now, Keenum has completed 61.9 percent of his passes with 46 touchdowns and 27 picks. He is 30-years old, which can be a deterrent, but that’s the same age Cousins will be when the season kicks off. It’s also only two years older than McCarron.
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In the end, drafting a franchise guy No. 1 overall is the way to go. However, if Cleveland wants a legitimate veteran starter, Keenum is clearly a valid choice, and arguably a better one than more often discussed alternatives.