Patriots Targeted Texans' QB?

The New England Patriots took the NFL world by surprise when the roster cut deadline rolled around last week.

The Patriots made the surprising decision to cut quarterbacks Bailey Zappe and Malik Cunningham, leaving Mac Jones as the only signal-caller on the roster. They re-signed both players to the practice squad soon after, and claimed Matt Corral on waivers from the Carolina Panthers. But for a brief time, New England had no backup option at all.

During that almost 24-hour period, speculation ran rampant over who the Patriots could potentially bring in to fill the void. According to Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer, New England kicked tires on some notable names across the league.

"So what happened? My sense is that, initially, the Patriots wanted to look at using the roster spot on a veteran with a lot of experience who could be a resource to Jones," Breer wrote. "They explored names like Case Keenum (who’d have to have been acquired via trade) and Colt McCoy (who is recovering from an elbow injury). Then Corral landed on waivers, after the Patriots had inquired with the Panthers on him, which changed the course and pushed a decision on it forward."

McCoy, who had just been released by the Arizona Cardinals, was a widely-speculated option for the Patriots during this time. Keenum, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as discussed.

Currently with the Houston Texans, Keenum has been one of the NFL's premier journeymen throughout his career. He has played with seven different teams in 11 years and has three separate stints with the Texans and two with the Los Angeles Rams.

Despite his status as a journeyman, Keenum has shown himself to be a capable quarterback in the past. His best season came with the Minnesota Vikings, when he started 14 games and led them to the NFC Championship Game. Keenum was also a star with the Houston Cougars in college, and he still holds the NCAA career passing yards record with 19,217.

Now that the Patriots have settled their backup situation, the ship has likely sailed on acquiring Keenum. However, it's fun to think about what could have been.