The Washington Redskins on Wednesday made official the reported deal that sends veteran quarterback Case Keenum from the Denver Broncos to DC.
It’s been known for some time that the two sides had agreed to a deal. But it couldn’t be announced until the official start of the NFL’s new league year.
In talking about the signing, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden did not close the door on the team drafting a quarterback in April.
“With only Colt (McCoy) on our roster we had to do something,” Gruden said, via the team’s official website. “We still may address it in the draft, who knows? But we have to have two quarterbacks in OTA’s and for someone to come in here and compete with Colt.”
This is a clear indication that the Redskins expect 2018 starter Alex Smith to miss the entire 2019 campaign after he suffered a devastating leg injury back in November.
Equally as important, Washington might look to address its long-term need at quarterback during the 2019 NFL Draft.
Selecting 15th overall, it’s highly unlikely that either Kyler Murray or Dwayne Haskins will be available to the Redskins. Outside of potentially trading up, that leaves the likes of Daniel Jones and Drew Lock as the most-likely options should Washington go quarterback in Round 1.
As it currently stands, McCoy and Keenum will be battling for Washington’s starting job during the offseason.