Case Keenum - Pro Football Rumors

QB Case Keenum To Start For Browns Tomorrow

October 20th, 2021 at 6:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Baker Mayfield will officially miss his first game since taking over as the Browns starting quarterback in 2018. The Browns announced that they’ll be without their starting QB tomorrow against the Broncos. Cleveland will have backup Case Keenum under center.

Keenum will have a chance to start against his former team, as the veteran started all 16 games for Denver back in 2018. He went 1-7 in eight starts with Washington in 2019, but he still got a three-year, $18MM deal from the Browns in 2020. In one-plus seasons with the team, the 33-year-old has seen time in four games, completing six of his 13 pass attempts for 52 yards.

“We have full confidence in him to lead us and do the things necessary to put us in position to win,” coach Kevin Stefanski said of Keenum. “Baker fought really hard to play, he’s a competitor and obviously wants to be out there but just couldn’t make it on a short week. We know he will continue to do everything in his power to return as quickly as possible.”

Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury back in mid-September, but he’s continued to play through the injury. He aggravated the injury during the Browns’ loss to the Cardinals on Sunday, and ESPN’s Jake Trotter writes that Mayfield was advised not to play by both team doctors and his own personal doctor.

Earlier this week, Mayfield clarified that he wouldn’t see the field if he ever thought he’d be hurting his team’s chances.

“Only I know how my body feels,” Mayfield said (via Trotter). “If anyone questions whether I am hindering the team and going out there injured, that’s just not right. It’s my decision. I get to say whether I am able to play or not, and that’s just how it is.”

Case Keenum Joins Browns

March 16th, 2020 at 4:34pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Browns have agreed to a three-year deal worth up to $18MM ($10MM guaranteed) with quarterback Case Keenum, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. While Cleveland is still heavily invested in quarterback Baker Mayfield, the team is making a heavy investment in ensuring they have a strong option behind him.

Keenum appeared set as a career backup after difficult stints as a starter with the Texans and Rams. In 2017 however, Keenum led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game and seemed to be a resurgent prospect. After struggling with the Broncos and Washington over the past two seasons though, Keenum’s market seems to no longer offer an opportunity to start.

Previous reports tied Keenum to the Browns and it is worth keeping in mind that the Browns new head coach and general manager were not with the organization when Cleveland selected Mayfield with the first overall pick in 2018. Mayfield looked like a franchise quarterback as a rookie, but after a difficult sophomore season, the Browns do have reasonable cause for concern.

Rookie head coach Kevin Stefanski was the quarterbacks’ coach with the Vikings when Keenum excelled in 2017. Keenum immediately becomes one of the league’s highest-paid backups and has a chance to reunite with a coach who helped him reach the peak of his career.

Case Keenum On Browns’ Radar

February 26th, 2020 at 2:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Drew Stanton‘s contract up, the Browns may be moving in a different direction at backup quarterback. Case Keenum is on the team’s radar, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

Both Stanton and Keenum signed two-year contracts in 2018. Keenum was tabbed to be the Broncos’ starter that season, but Denver traded him to Washington. He is expected to draw interest as a backup or potential bridge starter this offseason, and the Browns’ head coach choice points to Cleveland being a fit.

Kevin Stefanski worked with Keenum during his best NFL season, when the latter led the 2017 Vikings to a surprising NFC championship run. While Pat Shurmur called Minnesota’s plays, Stefanski was Keenum’s position coach and played a key role in the passer leading all quarterbacks in 2017 DVOA.

Chase Daniel could also be a fit, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter), but Keenum is the first name to be connected to the Browns’ search for Baker Mayfield‘s next backup.

Since coming into the league with the Texans as a 2012 UDFA, Keenum has started 62 NFL games — including 24 over the past two seasons. The 31-year-old passer finished with a 64.7 completion percentage with the Redskins, throwing 11 touchdown passes and five interceptions. That TD-INT ratio was considerably better than the 18-15 ratio he compiled in his one Broncos season.

Stanton missed all of last season with a knee injury and joined the Browns during since-departed GM John Dorsey‘s tenure. He did not play a regular-season snap as a Brown. Garrett Gilbert is expected to remain with the team, per Cabot.

Redskins’ Case Keenum Doesn’t Expect To Return

January 21st, 2020 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

Case Keenum is headed towards free agency and he believes he is headed elsewhere in 2020.

“I have no idea. I would say probably not,” Keenum said (via NBC Sports’ JP Finlay). “I can’t tell the future though.”

The Redskins, in all likelihood, will move forward with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins as their starting quarterback. One-time starter Alex Smith‘s status is up in the air, but his contract will remain on the books regardless. That leaves little available cash or playing time potential for Keenum.

“I feel like I played really good football. I know the wins and losses didn’t show it,” said Keenum, who went 1-7 in eight starts. “I’d love another shot to play in this league. So if there’s another chance, another opportunity out there, I’m not sure where that might be, I don’t take these things lightly. I’m going to go compete and make myself better this offseason and hopefully and be ready for whatever team might come calling.”

Keenum, who has suited up for seven different teams in eight different years, will likely add another jersey to his collection this year.

Dwayne Haskins Done For The Year

December 23rd, 2019 at 2:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Dwayne Haskins‘ rookie year is in the books. The Redskins have ruled out their young quarterback for Week 17 as he deals with an ankle injury, interim head coach Bill Callahan announced Monday.

Haskins went down with the ankle injury late in Washington’s loss to the Giants this past week. He apparently lobbied to come back into the game, but Redskins owner Dan Snyder personally intervened and told him not to go back into the game. That was certainly an unusual development, and one that signaled the franchise would be extremely cautious with their young signal-caller. With Haskins inactive, Case Keenum will presumably draw the start in the finale against the Cowboys, while Colt McCoy will back him up.

After setting records during his one year as Ohio State’s starter, Haskins was drafted 15th overall back in April. After starting the year off on the bench behind Keenum, Haskins took over around the midpoint of the season, not too long after Jay Gruden was fired. He initially struggled mightily with a depleted offense around him, but had started to come on strong the last couple of weeks.

He had his best game as a pro two weeks ago in a near-upset win over the Eagles, completing 19 of 28 passes for 261 yards and two touchdowns. He was also playing quite well before going down against New York. He’ll finish his rookie year having completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 1,365 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions, while averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. Washington is headed for a crucial offseason, as they must pick a new head coach while also dramatically upgrading their weapons. Barring something crazy happening, Haskins will be under center in Week 1 come 2020.

Redskins Rumors: Gruden, Keenum, Brown

October 9th, 2019 at 5:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jay Gruden does not anticipate returning to the sideline this season but will look at re-entering the coaching carousel in 2020, John Keim of ESPN.com reports. Gruden’s Redskins contract runs through the 2020 season. The former Bengals offensive coordinator has not ruled out returning to an OC post, if no franchise wants to give him the keys just yet. The recently fired Washington HC, who half-expected his firing to come after the Redskins’ Week 4 loss to the Giants, also addressed reports of discord between his staff and the team’s front office.

“I have mixed emotions about it,” Gruden said of the personnel issues, via Keim. “At the end of the day, if you’re not the GM, you have to accept the fact that you don’t get everything you want. You accept the players given to you. I had input in some areas, but there are some major issues there. It’s that way with most coaches. You don’t have that total say. It’s something you have to overcome and work with the guys you have.”

Here is the latest out of Washington, shifting first to how the team plans to handle its quarterback situation going forward:

New Redskins interim head coach Bill Callahan is expected to turn the starting quarterback job back over to Case Keenum, provided that his injured foot allows him to play (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Redskins have a date with Miami next, a match between two of the league’s 2019 cellar dwellers. Washington started Colt McCoy against New England and used Dwayne Haskins for much of its Week 4 loss to the Giants. Haskins still figures to see more time as a rookie, but for now, Washington will turn back to its Week 1 starter.
While Haskins hovered at the epicenter of one of the reported disputes between Washington’s staff and front office, current Eagles linebacker Zach Brown was the subject of another debate. After the 2017 season spent on a one-year deal with Washington, Brown had garnered consistently high Pro Football Focus marks but could not entice a team to hand him a long-term deal. Gruden and his staff wanted to let Brown walk, but the Redskins instead re-signed him at three years and $24MM, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Brown made it one year into that contract, with the Redskins returning the former Titans and Bills ‘backer to free agency earlier this year. The Redskins are carrying $3MM in dead money this year because of the Brown release.
Despite the Redskins profiling as one of the league’s most dysfunctional organizations, Rex Ryan said he would sign up if it was offered to him. During an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up, the former Jets and Bills HC said “of course” he’d take a job that “people are going to be lined up for,” via Earl Forcey of 106.7 The Fan (video link). The Bills fired Ryan in December 2016, late in his second Buffalo season. The Redskins currently employ his brother, Rob Ryan, as inside linebackers coach. But with a new staff likely taking over in 2020, that setup may well be in its final months.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Redskins Notes: Gruden, Haskins, Williams

October 7th, 2019 at 6:46pm CST by Ben Levine

This morning, the Redskins did what everyone expected and fired head coach Jay Gruden. The move follows a 33-7 loss to the Patriots, dropping Washington to 0-5 on the season. Besides his disappointing record, there also seemed to be a disconnect between the front office and the sixth-year coach; Gruden reportedly wasn’t a fan of the team’s decision to select quarterback Dwayne Haskins with the No. 15 overall pick.

Needless to say, it’s been a busy day in Washington, and there have a been a number of additional Redskins notes since this afternoon:

Nobody likes to lose their job, but it sounds like Gruden isn’t beating himself up over the firing. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the now-former head coach was expecting the move and is doing fine. Rapoport also notes that the firing allows the organization to be completely transparent about their head coaching search (as opposed to be covert if Gruden was still on the sideline).
During his presser earlier today, team president Bruce Allen deferred to interim head coach Bill Callahan when asked if Haskins would now start under center. The coach later told reporters that the first-rounder is not a candidate to start right now (via NFL Network’s Mike Garafalo on Twitter). The coach did say that they’re currently evaluating the health of Case Keenum and Colt McCoy, but it sounds like one of the veterans will start against the Dolphins on Sunday.
Allen was also asked about the status of offensive lineman Trent Williams, who continues to sit out. The executive told reporters that “there’s been no dialogue with any other team” regarding a trade, and Allen also said the team isn’t actively shopping the veteran. Today’s head coaching move also didn’t move the needle when it comes to a potential return for Williams; a source told ESPN’s Dianna Russini (Twitter link) that the 31-year-old “doesn’t have any plans of returning to the Redskins anytime soon.”
We hate to rub dirt in the wound, but ESPN’s Adam Schefter points out (on Twitter) that the Redskins’ coaching staff once consisted of Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay, and Matt LaFleuer. The three current head coaches (with the 49ers, Rams, and Packers, respectively) currently have a combined 2019 record of 10-3.

Redskins To Start Colt McCoy Vs. Patriots

October 4th, 2019 at 12:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Dwayne Haskins will have to wait at least a little while longer. On Friday, head coach Jay Gruden announced that Colt McCoy will get the start against the Patriots, rather than first-round rookie Dwayne Haskins or veteran Case Keenum.

Keenum has been slowed by a foot injury and Haskins didn’t look ready for primetime in his NFL debut against the Giants. Enter McCoy, a known commodity in Washington who is coming back from multiple leg surgeries.

McCoy took all the first-team reps in practice this week, and Gruden is not exactly in love with Haskins, so this does not come as a shock. By far the longest-tenured quarterback on Washington’s roster, McCoy has been a Redskins backup throughout Gruden’s five-plus-season stay.

Following Alex Smith‘s November 2019 injury, McCoy was given the call. However, midway through his second start, he suffered a broken leg that required months of rehab. The former third-round pick made four starts in 2014 but sat behind Kirk Cousins and Smith until the latter’s gruesome injury. Six Redskins passers have seen action since Cousins’ 2018 free agency defection.

This will mark a third straight week in which the Patriots are tasked with defending a backup quarterback. They faced the Jets’ Luke Falk in Week 3 and, in a tight game against the Bills, ran into Matt Barkley after Josh Allen was knocked out of last week’s contest. The Pats have allowed one offensive touchdown all season.

Redskins Tight-Lipped On QB Situation

September 29th, 2019 at 9:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Dwayne Haskins finally made his highly anticipated NFL debut earlier Sunday, coming on in relief of Case Keenum in the Redskins’ loss to the Giants. Even though head coach Jay Gruden made the decision to bench Keenum, somehow the quarterback situation has gotten even less clear heading into Week 5.

Speaking after the game, Gruden said that Keenum’s foot injury factored into his decision to pull him, according to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com. Gruden also declined to name a starter for next week’s game against the Patriots. While that’s not too unusual, there are huge implications here. Reports of dysfunction in the building have been rapidly leaking out, as Gruden’s relationship with owner Dan Snyder and team president Bruce Allen has apparently deteriorated.

We also just heard that Gruden and the coaching staff thought Haskins would be better off redshirting his entire rookie year, so it sure sounds like his hand was forced by management. It was reported before the game that Haskins would relieve Keenum if he struggled, so it wasn’t a huge surprise. Haskins struggled mightily in his debut and threw three interceptions, and Gruden didn’t sound too enthusiastic about having to play him.

As such, it seems like there’s a real chance the team could go back to Keenum, especially with Gruden saying the foot injury played a part. However, Gruden might not get the chance to make the call. Just yesterday it was reported that Gruden could be fired by the team if they lost to the Giants, which they obviously did in ugly fashion.

There’s also a possibility that Colt McCoy could take over under center after Haskins’ disastrous performance. McCoy was listed as the team’s starter earlier in the offseason, but his recovery from a 2018 leg injury kept him sidelined until just recently. McCoy returned to practice this past week, and could get a crack at the starting job given the state of his competition. If Gruden is going to be fired, then it would likely happen tomorrow.

Latest on Dwayne Haskins, Redskins’ Coaching Staff

September 29th, 2019 at 8:29am CST by Rory Parks

There was some chatter Saturday suggesting that Redskins head coach Jay Gruden could be coaching for his job against the Giants this afternoon, but Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports that no Washington coaches were informed by team execs or ownership that they will be fired if they lose against New York today (Twitter link). That may or may not mean anything, but since Gruden’s seat gets hotter by the day, these types of reports are worth monitoring.

However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms that the relationship between the coaching staff and the front office, headed by team president Bruce Allen, has become untenable. And differences in opinion over roster construction are just the beginning. Per La Canfora, the organization wants Gruden to part ways with defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, but Gruden refuses to consider any changes to his staff.

But it seems inevitable that Gruden, at least, will be looking for a new job in 2020. Manusky will likely be gone too, but La Canfora says team brass is high on first-year OC Kevin O’Connell, so he may stick around. If Gruden were to fired be mid-season, offensive line coach Bill Callahan may serve as the team’s interim HC. Gruden, meanwhile, may join his brother Jon’s staff with the Raiders.

As we have been hearing, another source of contention between the Redskins’ coaching staff and front office/ownership is rookie QB Dwayne Haskins. La Canfora writes in a separate piece that many members of the coaching staff — including Gruden — and people close to Haskins believe that it would be best for the Ohio State product to redshirt his entire rookie year, especially given the state of Washington’s O-line and the club’s general dearth of offensive talent. But owner Dan Snyder may be inclined to throw Haskins into the fire sooner rather than later, while Gruden views playing Haskins as a last resort. Although Gruden’s fate with the Redskins is likely sealed, the disagreement between him and Snyder over Haskins may hasten his departure.

As for today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Case Keenum will get the start, and Haskins will be his backup. Colt McCoy, who recently returned to practice, will be inactive, though the Redskins did consider dressing all three signal-callers. Despite Gruden’s reservations about playing Haskins, Rapoport hears that if Keenum should struggle against the Giants’ defense, Gruden may feel compelled to send in his rookie signal-caller (video link).