Editor’s note: In addition to our overarching observations every day, throughout Broncos’ training camp, we will be picking at least one position battle each practice to focus in on. We’ll give an in-depth look at how the battle looked that day, and where each of the competitors stand in the race.

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Chad Kelly had to wait 644 days to play in his first football game since his glorious collegiate career ended at Ole Miss in 2016.

Despite the incredibly long wait to see his first NFL action, he wasted no time turning heads during the Denver Broncos’ first preseason game on Saturday night as he posted a 104.7 passer rating to go along with two touchdowns.

He turned so many heads, in fact, it only took him two days to make his way up the Denver Broncos’ depth chart.

On Monday, in the team’s first practice since Kelly’s standout first preseason game, No. 6 was running with the two’s.

What we saw today

On the practice field Monday, it was very clear Kelly wasn’t just going to get a shot at the team’s No. 2 job, he was the team’s backup quarterback. After practice, it became official.

“Chad’s played well. He’s played with poise. He’s played with confidence. He moved the ball for us on Saturday night,” Joseph stated. “It’s been that way since the spring. He had a great spring. He’s had a great camp. It’s his turn to be the two. He’s earned that right.”

He took his promotion and took off out of the gates.

In his first NFL reps with a second-team offense, Kelly completed three-straight passes. The first was a bullet to Jake Butt 10 yards down the middle of the field.

The next two were to quarterback-friendly target Courtland Sutton — the first coming 10 yards down the right sideline in tight coverage by Isaac Yiadom and the second was on a rope to the rookie receiver in the middle of the field.

“Chad’s a young player. This is Chad’s first time playing ball in two years. So we got to be patient with Chad,” Joseph said after practice, tempering expectations on Kelly after he spent his entire rookie season on the injured reserve.

The rest of practice Kelly came back to earth and saw first hand the jump in competition level from the third team to the second team. Saying that, Kelly never truly put his team in a bad situation.

“Obviously, you want a guy who can go into the game and operate the offense and not beat his own football team, but also have the confidence to go make some plays and lead our unit,” Josep said on what he’s looking for in a backup quarterback. “So far, Chad has done those things.”

For most of practice, Kelly focused on targets within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, but spread the ball from left to right, utilizing the middle of the field often.

At times, his rocket passes tucked into the tight windows, including one to De’Angelo Henderson in the middle of the field in which it was baffling how the ball made it through such a small window. But No. 6 fit it in.

Other times, however, defenders had their say in the outcome.

On multiple occasions, including three to Matt Lacosse, Kelly hit his intended target, but the pass was either jarred loose by the smothering defense, or it was too hot for the receiver to handle as it flew right through their hands.

The two passes Kelly wishes he had back were both big-play opportunities. The first was an overthrow down the left sideline to an open Tim Patrick as he put the ball just two yards too far. If he put it on the money, it would have been six.

The other was just thrown a bit too high in the back of the end zone. DaeSean Hamilton caught the ball, but had to go up so high to get it once he came back down he wasn’t able to get two feet down in bounds.

Kelly’s best play on the day was a beauty. During 7-on-7, as Sutton — Kelly’s favorite target on the day — took a wheel route from the slot to the right sideline 25 yards downfield, Kelly placed a perfect ball right over tight coverage into Sutton’s hands just before he hit the sideline.

No. 6 did have an interception on the day, but it was during a situational period where Kelly was faced with a 4th-and-10 from his own 50-yard line and had to get a first down. He threw one up for his receiver down the right sideline, and Brendan Langley came up with the pick.

After practice, Kelly was the last quarterback on the field, getting extra work with River Cracraft and Butt.

As for Lynch, the now third-team quarterback responded to the demotion with a fine day on the practice field. During practice, Lynch only tucked and ran with the ball once as well as only taking one sack. The rest of the time, Lynch hung in the pocket and went through his reads.

Much like Kelly, Lynch didn’t look downfield on the day and utilized the middle of the field often, connecting often with the tight ends and Isaiah McKenzie.

Lynch’s final pass on the day was his best.

Faced with a 3rd-and-goal from the two, he put a dart in River Cracraft’s chest on a two-yard out route resulting in what would have been a touchdown. Lynch’s pass was low and only Cracraft could have caught it.

How it stands now

It’s very clear where this competition stands now.

After months of the former first-round pick having a firm grasp on the backup quarterback role, it’s now Kelly’s turn to solidify himself as Case Keenum’s backup.

“Chad’s played well. He played well in the scrimmage. He played well on Saturday night. He deserves the chance to be the two right now,” Joseph said with clarity on Monday.

Kelly will be the team’s second-string quarterback during the entire week including during the team’s second preseason game on Saturday against the Chicago Bears.

As it’s a “performance business,” in the words of the head coach, if Kelly continues to put up the numbers he did in the first preseason game and the team’s scrimmage, the backup job will be difficult to take from him.

But Joseph reminded the world the competition is “not over,” and the depth chart is “fluid.”

“That’s what we live by with our players: If you’re playing well and you earn it, you pushup and you get it,” Joseph said about the fluidity of the depth chart in the weeks to come. “It’s a fair league.”

When asked if the team is comfortable with either Kelly or Lynch being the backup come Week 1 against the Seattle Seahawks, Joseph said, “Your roster is pretty much formed until something happens out there. Right now, Chad’s our backup. Things change in this league all the time, but right now he’s our backup.”

This isn’t just a flash in the pan with Chad, either.

The night the Broncos drafted Kelly with the final pick in the entire draft, aka Mr. Irrelevant, the then-rookie head coach stated the Ole Miss product was his favorite quarterback in the draft. That draft included Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes.

As for the former first-round pick, the head coach said the move wasn’t necessarily a testament to the way he’s performed, but more about how impressive Kelly’s been.

“He has great physical potential, but it’s got to equal performance eventually,” Joseph bluntly said about Lynch. “He understands that. It’s a performance league.”

What they’re saying about it

Joseph on how Lynch handled the news

“[He was] obviously disappointed, but he understands it’s a performance business. He has great potential—physical potential—but it’s got to equal performance eventually. He understands that. It’s a performance league, and everything we do is graded, and it’s counted. It’s really more about what Chad’s done, honestly. Chad has played well. He’s played with poise, he’s played with confidence. He moved the ball for us on Saturday night. It’s been that way since the spring. He had a great spring, he’s had a great camp, and so it’s his turn to be the two. He’s earned that right.”

Joseph on his expectations for Kelly moving forward

“It’s no different. He has to go out and continue to play well as our No. 2. It’s same with Paxton. He has to compete and get better as a quarterback. It’s not over. We’re still competing, but the depth chart is fluid and it rewards guys who are playing well. It’s only right. That’s what we live by with our players: if you’re playing well and you earn it, you push up and you get it. It’s a fair league.”

Kelly on his reaction to being promoted

“It was nice. I wouldn’t have gotten there if it wasn’t for my teammates. Those guys made the plays, they got me in the right protections, and the guys with the ball in their hands made plays. Like I said, it’s not just me that got to that position. It’s those other guys around me that helped me get there.”

Kelly on what he learned from watching the film on Saturday’s game

“There’s a lot to improve on. Obviously, none of us like losing. You re-watch the film, and you see a lot of things that we could get a lot better at, and we’ve done a good job throughout this camp already improving on things. We just have to make sure that we keep on working extremely hard and you have to give credit where credit is due. The Viking played really well. They executed. We knew they were going to be a tough team. We just have to keep working hard, and everything will fall in place.”

Kelly on if Lynch said anything to him after they found out the news

“No. We carry each other in the same way every day. We’re there for each other whether he’s the starter, I’m the starter, Case is the starter. We’re going to keep on working hard with each other, keep on being a close-knit quarterback group and keep each other happy.”

Kelly on how different it was going with the second team today instead of the third

“You can’t really compare the team. I think going out there you just have to execute on the offense side on the ball and whatever the play call is. If it’s double go, you have to hit the go route. If it’s slants, you have to make sure you hit the slant route, but you also have to know who’s out there, know your personnel and know where to get the ball. I think all of those guys are doing extremely well. I’m excited about this upcoming week and for all of us to kind of gel together and keep working hard.”

Kelly on if he thinks he can perform if called upon in the regular season

“You just have to work hard. That’s really what it is. Even the best ones are still working extremely hard. They don’t know everything. Me being in my second year, I don’t know anything. Like I said, I have to work hard; I have to watch more film than I ever have before, and you know when your time is called you better be ready to step up and go.”

Kelly on what his uncle Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Jim Kelly told him after the game

“He just said to stay humble, to keep working extremely hard and he’s going to call me later this week.”