Denver Broncos: Kevin Hogan’s impressive preseason led to new gig
The Denver Broncos claimed Kevin Hogan off of waivers from the Washington Redskins. His strong preseason was justification enough let go of Paxton Lynch.
The Denver Broncos were looking for a way to quickly move on from Paxton Lynch.
The former first-round pick out of Memphis needed a fresh start, and so did the Broncos.
Vance Joseph put it quite bluntly at his Tuesday press conference.
"“Paxton’s gone. That story is gone with him.”Head coach Vance Joseph (quote via Broncos PR)"
The departure of Lynch was made possible by the acquisition of former Stanford Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan, a fifth-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Hogan took over as the Cardinal’s starter after Andrew Luck left for the NFL following the 2011 season. He was a four-year starter for a major PAC 12 program, one the Broncos have definitely favored in John Elway’s tenure as general manager, and also brings leadership and intangible qualities to the table the Broncos have coveted all offseason.
"“Kevin fits what our quarterbacks look like. He’s an athletic guy, he has a good arm, he’s very, very smart, he’s fast with the ball—so he fits the profile of what Chad [Kelly] and Case look like physically. He was a good fit for us.”"
Why did the Broncos acquire Hogan, a third-year pro who has already been with the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns, and Washington Redskins?
John Elway mentioned on Orange & Blue 760 that part of the reason the team brought Hogan in as the new third quarterback was because he just had an excellent preseason with Washington.
Of course, the Broncos got an up-close look at Hogan in the team’s third preseason game in Washington, when Hogan came in at the end of the game in cleanup duty after all of the other quarterbacks had played.
Hogan finished his preseason in Washington with a very respectable stat line of 43 completions on 67 attempts (64.2 percent) with 462 yards, five touchdowns, and just two interceptions.
According to Pro Football Focus, Hogan did an excellent job under pressure or when blitzed.
He completed 50 percent of his pass attempts (12-of-24) with 229 yards (a whopping 9.5 per attempt) and nine first downs on 12 completions.
Some of Hogan’s best work was done 10-yards or further downfield.
In his first two years in the NFL, Hogan has just been okay when given opportunities, but he showed some signs of progression in the preseason and the Broncos felt it was worth it to bring him in and give Lynch a chance at a fresh start elsewhere.
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We’ll see if the team hangs on to Hogan throughout the season, but perhaps they think he can fit the mold of the type of player they are looking for, which dating back to his days at Stanford is a true gamer who plays with grit and intelligence.
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