It looks like Washington will have a starting quarterback battle on its hands this summer between Colt McCoy and Case Keenum.
I know … exciting stuff.
According to reports, Washington is about to trade to pick up Case Keenum from the Broncos. Remember, Keenum became expendable because the Broncos traded for Joe Flacco.
This has quickly become a mediocre quarterback carousel.
Colt McCoy vs. Case Keenum
There can be only one winner.
That winner will not be the Washington Redskins.— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) March 7, 2019
The Redskins are trying to trade for the guy who got replaced by the guy the Redskins didn't want.— Troy Machir (@TroyMachir) March 7, 2019
Philadelphia Eagles
Complete coverage of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL rivals from NBC Sports Philadelphia.
That's definitely what the fans wanted— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) March 7, 2019
Yeah, it's a mess.
But the deal to get Keenum won't exactly set back the franchise. In fact, it won't really hurt them much at all.
Broncos have trade parameters with Washington for QB Case Keenum: Broncos get WAS 6th in 2020, WAS gets Broncos 7th in '20, per source. Keenum's contract reworked. Broncos pay him $500K restructure bonus and pay $3.5 million of his $7M salary. Washington pays $3.5 mi. #9sports— Mike Klis (@MikeKlis) March 7, 2019
So the terms of the deal aren't horrible for Washington. They have to pay Keenum a little bit of money and they'll get him for a minimal pick swap. In actuality, this move makes some sense for Washington. There seems to be a pretty good chance Keenum will beat out McCoy for that starting gig in 2019 as Alex Smith is still far away from playing again - if he ever does play again.
So, maybe, the Skins actually made a move to (minimally) improve their team on Thursday. But the idea of a McCoy vs. Keenum quarterback battle during training camp is going to be a hard sell for fans. Keenum, who has already likely seen his peak in the NFL, is probably a slightly better version of McCoy.
At least Washington didn't pay a ton for Keenum, but their interest in him over a guy like Nick Foles doesn't make a ton of sense. The only way it makes sense is if they draft a quarterback, which still seems to be in play.
Washington has the No. 15 pick in this year's draft, which may or may not allow them to draft the next franchise quarterback. They might need to move up higher in the first round to get that quarterback, but if they evaluate one and think they can find the next franchise QB, they have to do it.
Let's take a quick look at the starting QBs around the NFC East right now:
Eagles: Carson Wentz
Cowboys: Dak Prescott
Giants: Eli Manning
Redskins: McCoy/Keenum
The Eagles clearly have the best QB in their division. Say what you want about Wentz's ability to stay healthy, but this is a guy who was in the MVP race not that long ago and who threw 21 touchdowns in limited action between coming back from a torn ACL and suffering a stress fracture in his back.
The next-best situation actually has to be the Cowboys and Prescott. No, he's not an elite QB, but he's at least serviceable and is still just 25. The problem will come when the Cowboys have to pay him big money.
Then the Giants have a 38-year-old and declining Manning. For whatever reason, they just won't move on.
And now Washington will have Case Keenum or Case Keenum-Light starting in 2019. Yikes.
Click here to download the MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Flyers, Sixers and Phillies games easily on your device.
