Keenum absence from Broncos practice ‘concerning’ for Stokley
Sep 19, 2018, 12:50 PM | Updated: 2:34 pm
Denver Broncos quarterback Case Keenum did not participate in practice on Wednesday with knee soreness stemming from the Oakland Raiders game on Sunday.
Head coach Vance Joseph said after practice Keenum’s knee is “a little sore” but he expects the quarterback to not only be back on the field Thursday but ready to play Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
But just the fact that Keenum missed any time on the practice field comes as a concern to “Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley, not only because of the quarterback’s health but also the need for this offense to improve.
“Case Keenum realizes that every practice is so important, especially a big game like this on the road,” Stokley said on Wednesday. “You’ve got to play better football offensively. All this time that you have, you don’t have a lot of it, and you have a lot of work to do.
“For him not to be practicing … I know it’s different nowadays. You rest a lot of guys. But man, it’s concerning. It is concerning.”
In all of his time playing with future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Stokley said to his recollection No. 18 rarely missed a practice, save for his final year in Indianapolis when he was out with a neck injury.
“That guy, if he was missing a practice, there was something serious going on,” Stokley said.
After practice, Keenum said he could have practiced on Wednesday but the team wouldn’t let him as a precaution.
“Just making sure,” Keenum said. “I want to play 16-20 weeks, not just a few weeks.”
But even if Keenum ends up being fine, Stokley said, it’s still a concern he’s missing time because of the way Denver’s offense has performed in the first two games.
“On top of his health, the other thing that’s concerning is this offense needs to play better, needs to start the game better,” Stokley said. “You can’t have another first half like that. So, they need all this practice that they can get.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
