Broncos sign QB Chad Kelly to four-year rookie contract
The Denver Broncos have reached an agreement with rookie quarterback Chad Kelly on a four-year deal, according to Mike Klis…
The Denver Broncos have reportedly reached an agreement with seventh round pick Chad Kelly, a senior quarterback from Ole Miss. Mike Klis of 9News was the first to report the signing:
Simply put, the selection of Chad Kelly with the final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft has been one of my absolute favorites. Kelly — were it not for off-field issues and injury problems — probably would have been a first or second round pick.
At worst, he might have fallen to the third round, but in this year’s draft, he was better than most of the quarterbacks coming out.
And I don’t just say that because he’s a Bronco.
Because of off-field and injury red flags, I pegged Kelly prior to the draft as a mid-second round value. He had a bit of a down year in 2016, but that wasn’t much of a surprise given he lost left tackle Laremy Tunsil and wide receiver Laquan Treadwell (both 1st round picks in the 2016 NFL Draft) among others.
Kelly returned to school to graduate but also to try and win a Heisman Trophy and achieve other personal as well as team goals.
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They didn’t happen, and Kelly’s stock took a hit in the process. It certainly didn’t seem enough to drop him to the seventh round, much less a borderline undrafted free agent. The Broncos gave Kelly the call with that final pick and prevented him from signing with another team and risking not getting him on the undrafted free agent market.
The selection of Kelly was a shrewd one by John Elway and company. It involves virtually no risk whatsoever for the Broncos, who think very highly of Kelly’s abilities. In fact, Vance Joseph stated after the conclusion of the draft that Kelly was his favorite quarterback in the class.
The Broncos managed to get a big time steal late in the seventh round with this guy, a gunslinger type who has a strong, accurate arm and excellent athletic ability. Even coming off of a torn ACL, this type of player doesn’t usually last to the seventh round.
If he keeps his act together off the field, he has a chance to compete for at worst a backup job this year and next, and potentially a starting job down the line if things progress for him.
Time will tell.