Backup QB Ranks: Bills' Case Keenum Just 'Good Enough'?

Keenum has one of the league's most important, yet overlooked roles next season: being Josh Allen's backup

The Buffalo Bills enter the 2022 season with championship expectations that the franchise hasn't seen since the days of quarterback Jim Kelly and four straight Super Bowl losses in the early 1990s. 

With MVP candidate Josh Allen and coach Sean McDermott leading the charge along with one of the league's top defenses from a season ago, Buffalo is once again a serious contender in the AFC. 

But with so much riding on the team's success this season, having one of the league's best backups is a vital insurance policy in a sport where one injury can derail a shot at a Super Bowl. 

After having Allen as the only active quarterback on the roster at the beginning of the offseason, the Bills showed clear intent on getting a trustworthy backup when they traded a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Cleveland Browns in March to acquire Case Keenum, a nine-year vet that appeared in five games last season and went 2-0 in both of his starts. 

Pro Football Network recently revealed its rankings for the best backup quarterbacks in the league and has Keenum slotted in at No. 8. Here's what the rankings had to say: 

The shine of Keenum’s spectacular run with the Vikings in 2017 has seemingly worn off. That’s fine, as the Bills will only go as far as Josh Allen takes them. That said, Keenum is good enough to win a game or two if Allen suffers a mid-season injury. With a career record of 29-35 as a starter, Keenum isn’t going to “wow” another behind center, but he can get the job done with a favorable supporting cast.

Keenum helped lead the Browns to a 21-16 win over the AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals in early January. He went 17-24 passing for 176 yards, two scores, and a pick in the win, but is certainly best known for the Minneapolis Miracle he and Bills star receiver Stefon Diggs connected on in the 2018 playoffs. The Minnesota Vikings secured a 29-24 last-second win over the New Orleans Saints as Diggs got free behind the secondary in the final seconds for one of the best playoff moments in league history. 

Now, the two are reunited with a chance at reaching the postseason. And if all hopefully goes to plan, Keenum won't have to throw a single pass Diggs' way this season.