Could Broncos OC Rich Scangarello take a liking to QB Case Keenum?

“Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley made the case on Thursday for the Denver Broncos to trade for San Francisco 49ers backup quarterback Nick Mullens. Among other things, Stokley said the third-year quarterback could come in and ease the transition to new offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello, who most recently coached the quarterbacks for the 49ers.

But could a potential trade for Mullens be dead in the water because Scangarello might take a liking to current Broncos starter Case Keenum?

“I think Scangarello is going to like having Case Keenum,” Matt Barrows, who covers the 49ers for The Athletic, told “Stokley and Zach” on Friday. “I know that he just signed for one more season, but Keenum and Nick Mullens are very much in the same mold.”

In fact, Barrows said Scangarello gave Mullens an offseason homework assignment after the 2017 season to study what he believed to be two quarterbacks of similar stature and makeup: Drew Brees and Keenum.

“So, I’m not sure if they had Keenum on the roster whether they would trade for a very Keenum-like guy in Nick Mullens,” Barrows said.

In eight starts in relief of both the injured Jimmy Garoppolo and C.J. Beathard, Mullens went 3-5, passing for 2,277 yards, 13 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a completion percentage of 64.2.

Comparatively, over a 16-game average, Mullens would have passed for 4,554 yards and 26 touchdowns, topping Keenum’s 16-game total of 3,890 yards and 18 touchdowns.

Keenum’s woes in 2018, however, “can get fixed,” according to ESPN NFL analyst Matt Hasselbeck, who told “Schlereth and Evans” on Friday that the quarterback “can absolutely play football.”

Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.