Browns: A quarterback controversy that we don’t hate

Browns backup QB battle: Aging

So Case Keenum is 33 years old. The former Houston Cougar, whose jersey No. 7 is actually retired now because of his impressive resume while at Houston, actually spent six years at Houston. He was injured a few of those years and thus granted the sixth year of college eligibility.

Once he got out of college, he signed with the Houston Texans where he spent his years with the Texans primarily being a backup and practice squad quarterback. Sound familiar?

By 2016, he signed with the surging Los Angeles Rams where he landed a nice contract and began the year as their starter, despite the Rams drafting of Jared Goff prior to that season beginning with the No. 1 overall pick.

The following year, Keenum bolted to the Minnesota Vikings where he took over the starting quarterback job after a season-ending injury to then Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford. He helped Minnesota win a playoff game as some of you might recall when the Vikings beat the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Divisional Playoff game.

Keenum went on to have pit stops with the Denver Broncos and the Washington Football Team the following two seasons before landing with the Browns and his old coach Stefanski from Minnesota last season.

Granted that Keenum had a very successful year in Minnesota going 13-3 and winning a playoff game but it was just one season.

Keenum has been a journeyman throughout his career. And despite his stellar career in college, it was over a long six-year period.

In the NFL he’s only been a full-time starter four of his eight seasons.

I recognize he’s not being asked to be the starting quarterback now but that age of 33 is a factor in this debate or at least should be.

Kyle Lauletta is 26 years old, has been in the league for three seasons, was drafted by the New York Giants, and has almost exclusively played as a practice squad member for various NFL teams including the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. He doesn’t have that experience of playing in big games at the highest levels. He’s only thrown five passes in his career, in games that counted and weren’t preseason games.

That gap between 26 and 33 is something to evaluate though. Maybe not the difference between being 25 years old and 50 years old but still something to consider. The physicality of the game over time can certainly affect one’s body and I’d bank on the fact that Keenum’s recovery after playing games is probably more extensive than Lauletta’s.