DENVER — Seven days ago, Chad Kelly was preparing for his first football game in nearly 650 days.
The last time he had played in live game action, that annoying “From your roommate back in Boulder” song was just hitting No. 1 on the charts.
In his first game back, the Ole Miss legend slung it for 177 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-21 passing in just a quarter and a half of play, as 60-thousand strong chanted his name.
The narrative after the game was that Kelly had earned a shot to be the team’s backup. He had.
On Monday, just two days after his first game as a pro, Kelly was running with the second team in practice. On Tuesday, he was officially the backup on the team’s updated depth chart.
All in (less than) a day’s work.
In his first action against the second team in practice, though, Kelly struggled a bit as he caught up to the speed of players who will almost all be on the roster come Week 1. When the Bears came into town on Wednesday, the second-year QB didn’t exactly make his mark, and Thursday was much of the same.
The question around Denver was, “Does the team need to bring in a veteran backup?”
Then, on Saturday night, the lights came on again.
With six minutes and 19 seconds to go in the first half of Denver’s preseason game against the Bears, No. 6 took to the field. By the fire in his eyes, though, you’d never know it was the preseason. It’s just one of the things his teammates love about him.
“I love the way he competes,” said tight end Matt LaCosse. “He’s fun to play with.”
On his first real drive as the backup quarterback, Kelly was perfect, capping off a seven-play, 44-yard drive with an absolute laser onto the sticky hands of Courtland Sutton in the end zone.
Can you say gamer?
When all was said and done on his night, Kelly finished 7-of-9 passing for 90 yards and a touchdown with a spiffy 145.4 passer rating. He led his team to 10 points on the night, and it could have been 13 had Vance Joseph been willing to let Brandon McManus attempt a 55-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Kelly’s only mistake on the night? Just missing Tim Patrick on a deep route down the right sideline.
So, do the Broncos need a to sign a veteran backup quarterback?
“F*** no,” one player told me in the locker room, almost disgusted I would suggest such a thing. “F*** no.”
Would you feel comfortable if—knock on wood—Case went down, and Kelly needed to start a game?
“With the way he’s playing right now, absolutely,” another player said. “We don’t need no vet.”
Here’s the fact of the matter, Kelly has the respect of his teammates, and he’s worked damn hard to earn that.
On Saturday night, a source told BSN Denver that if Kelly doesn’t walk into the building with Case Keenum in the morning, it’s because he got there first. At the end of the night—emphasis on night—Kelly and Keenum are also the last two to leave.
And there’s more.
“He would literally do anything for one of his teammates,” running back Phillip Lindsay said. “Whether you need a ride or if you need help with the playbook, he’s got your back… The first time I came in, he was the first one that I met. He went over the plays with me all the time. He is full of energy just like myself, so we came together just because of how he is and how I am.”
“He’s a dog,” Lindsay concluded, giving the QB his signature stamp of approval. “He’s earning a lot of people’s respect.”
Two weeks from today, the Denver Broncos will have to cut their roster from 90 to 53. There are going to be some tough decisions to make. Bring in a veteran QB, and those decisions get even tougher because you sure as heck aren’t going to try and get Chad Kelly to the practice squad. If you keep three quarterbacks, you’re going to have to cut from somewhere else.
“Right now, he’s our backup,” Vance Joseph said after the game. “I can’t speak for two weeks down the road here. But right now, he’s our backup quarterback. That’s the answer.”
Allow me to help out here. If you’re going to have to play, say, free-agent backup Matt Moore in a game, it’s going to be very easy to bet against the Broncos. If you have to play Chad Kelly in a game, well, nobody is exactly chomping at the bit to bet against him.
Why?
“He’s got ‘it,'” said Shane Ray. “Some people just have it.”
Save yourselves the millions, the draft pick or whatever else it may take to bring in a more “safe” option, Broncos. Believe in Chad Kelly, because most people who don’t are wrong.
0 Comments (9 conversations)
Mark in Hawaii
Aloha RK great article and great question,
It’s been a while since my last comment but I’ve been dialed into you and Zac’s updates everyday on pod, the site, and twitter. I’m so glad I subscribed at the end of last season and appreciate you guys being with us fans every step of the way from last season to where we are today!
From what I saw in tonight’s I have to echo what the players said. Kelly looked poised, confident, locked in, and determined to get the job done. He continued to impressed vs the 2’s answering any question about his ability to rise to the next level. The best way to describe him is as you said, he’s a gamer. I say forget brining in a vet, lets roll with Chad as the backup. If Case goes down with a serious injury (touch wood) the season is screwd anyway… or is it? I’d prefer to let Kelly get some valuable experience and see what the kid can do.
With Paxton having virtually no trade value to this point, the Broncos have to cut their losses, right? To me absorbing his cap hit and then spending money to bring in another veteran QB would be a double whammy. And with depth issues at other positions of need, that roster spot is even more valuable.
I got 2 questions. Can you explain the difference between Paxton’s $2.6M “cap hit”, versus his $4.5M “dead cap” money? If the Broncos do cut Lynch, do you think they do that before or after the 4th preseason game?
Thanks,
Mark
George in Limbo
Kelly has made a couple rookie mistakes, but you have to trust a young guy eighth that much fire. Developing him in the 2-spot will give him the chance to continue nipping at Keenum’s heels. If Keenum goes down, you risk an INT or a weird delay of game penalty, but you give him the experience to work out those mistakes himself. He competes better than anybody we’ve had in a while.
Don’t get a veteran QB. Trust the process with Kelly.
Pump the brakes…give it a few weeks more and then make a call. See what “veterans” are available after a couple of cut rounds. Not opposed to the idea of a quality rookie backup (Kelly), just like playing this out a bit more to explore all options.
HDS
No wonder fans love him: he looks like a guy that carries a lunch pail to work and he just flat-out gets after it. And as I keep reminding my friends: playing in a uniformly tougher conference than Lynch, Kelly’s college stats were superior, except for one: “height.”
350legend
Agree! He’s turning out to be that guy that teammates love! Energy, hungry and works hid butt off!
Ryan Koenigsberg
AuthorTo your first question, in simple terms, cap hit is how much counts against the cap if the player is on the team, dead cap is how much money counts against the cap if the player is not on the team. The cap number from a contract goes up if you have guaranteed money on a player’s contract that you haven’t paid them yet and you cut them.
To your second question, man, I think they need to cut him today but it doesn’t feel like that will happen. If they bring in a vet, it’ll happen sooner than the 4th game. If they don’t, they might give him one more chance to show some trade value in the 4th game.
Chad is the guy who will never allow himself to be the reason his team looses. He reminds me of Tebow in his attitude and competitive spirit, but Chad is a much better passer. I heard that Al Wilson said ona radio show that the only guy he’s seen that has the arm strength and raw skill Kelly has is Aaron Rodgers. Now obviously you don’t wanna day he’s the next Rodgers, but if you’re getting that praise from a guy like Al Wilson who was a great player himself, that means something
Queen City Bronco
I never could quite get his fall. Certainly the injuries and off field hurt him during draft season, but he always flashed against top competition in college. When I was scouting his class, he was one of my favorite QBs, off field issues aside. He was fearless over the middle, had the arm to complete every pass, and above average mobility. Local and national draftniks still argue he’s not a good QB, some even saying Lynch is the no brainer superior talent, but I can’t find a single person who can give me a realistic explanation for why he can’t be a good QB.
Gainsmedia
My 1st ever comment:
Excuse me, the Denver Broncos have a veteran back-up Quarterback — his name is Case Keenum.
“Why is nobody saying Chad Kelly should be the starter?” Am I missing this quote from Coach Vance Joseph, on Paxton Lynch: “Every team is playing their best players. It is a competition.”
Guys I remember QB Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks rookie in about 2013. The team had a projected starter at Quarterback but he simply got beat out by Wilson. Russell Wilson went to the super bowl twice. And this is the same feeling I have about Denver Broncos Quarterback Chad Kelly. Frankly, he has been on the ? team longer than Case Keenum. Kelly makes the other players around him better – look at Devontae Booker, RB. I have never seen him hit the hole so hard, ever! On 3rd down and 4, Booker ran the rock without hesitation after Kelly gave it to him. Amazing.
I want some discussion on this from you Ryan since you talk to our players. “Does it seem to you the guys have more passion for Chad than for Case. Has anyone ever dropped an F-bomb about Keenum?
Denver Broncos Head Coach will become as smart as Pete Carroll if he names Kelly the starter for Preseason Week 3. “Swag Kelly” — #6 Just get it over with and go for it. Reorganize the depth chart. QUARTERBACK CHAD KELLY PRACTICE WITH THE FIRST TEAM OFFENSE THIS WEEK. I have seen enough. The offense responds to him the most. Him and Phillip Lindsay, definitely will not be crying ? versus the Raiders.
Gainsmedia
Sutton ? Kelly ? Phillip Lindsay ? New Denver Broncos big 3.
Carlos Henderson did not even show up after he saw Sutton, straight up knew it was pointless and did not report. I already picked up Lindsay on my fantasy team – there is just no way they are keeping him off the field. Chad has already found both of them for touchdown passes. Chubb is literally our 4th best rookie. Way to go John Elway! #Legend thank you for everything you do for Denver! Yes
“I am prepared for anything that comes my way. I am going to prepare like I am the starter,” said Kelly.
“A lot of good things to come from this,” said Kelly.
“The more reps I get, the more rhythm I will have,” said Kelly.
“The line did a heck of a job blocking tonight. Runningbacks ran hard. Recievers got open.” — that is because of the look in your eyes, Kelly. ? ?
“The line gave me amazing time tonight, said Kelly. Literally the same lime as last year, suddenly playing better. Quarterback makes his teammates better!
“I would not even call them rookies. They are playing at a high level right now. They are really smart about the game. They know what they are doing but also they work extremely hard,” said Kelly.
Guys, look at the President. What he does, he tells the truth. America loves that. These new guys we have on offense, they are better than what we had last year. Straight up. No need to stall it. Read the reports you guys have been writing all camp. These big 3 are making the most plays. End of story. Acknowledge it. This is truth, do a word count. You have mentioned Sutton, Kelly and Lindsay the most. Put them out there. Let us go win the AFC West.
Queen City Bronco
I have always thought, since scouting Kelly out of college that he was a future NFL starter. I’m as big a Kelly fan as anyone out there. That said, I love this situation of Keenum as the starter and Kelly the backup. Keenum by most statistics was a top 5 QB last year. I know people want to rip on him as a one year wonder, but no QB just falls into top 5. He has a legitimate skill set. On the other side, I think Kelly is a future star. That said, he’s had to sit out a substantial length of time for injury, and has never eben seen NFL competition beyond these past two preseason (easy) games. Kelly has what it takes IMO, but not quite yet. Let him sit a year, get up to speed, and truly learn an NFL offense. Next year he should absolutely be at the very least given a shot to earn the starting gig.
Jakeferrare
Love this article I have a question for the pod tho. Are the broncos going to address the problem that they have covering tight ends?
Huxan
I called it when they drafted him. I was stoked that they picked him. I watched him carve up SEC defenses for two years before he went down and watched him dominate my dawgs (and Dak unfortunately). I said he is going to sit the first year cuz he’s hurt and he will just look like a wasted draft pick. But wait until the first preseason game he plays, and he will start making waves and ppl are going to want to see more. He’s a game dog(doesn’t impress that much in practice but competition in games lights his fire) and will be the Broncos starter when Cade leaves if not before then. (Touching Wood of course for this season)