Denver Broncos rookie day three draft selections Jake Butt and Chad Kelly will both go on season-ending injured reserve, according to Vance Joseph…
The Denver Broncos won’t get to see anything out of rookies Chad Kelly and Jake Butt this season, as both players will go on season-ending injured reserve.
Head coach Vance Joseph addressed the media on Monday, updating everyone on the situation with each player.
Both players apparently need more time:
Vance Joseph said Jake Butt and Chad Kelly will both go on IR.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) November 6, 2017
This is not entirely surprising in regards to Kelly, who hadn’t practiced until last week. The Broncos drafted Kelly with the expectation that he may very well miss this entire season, and that has proven to be the case.
Regardless, it didn’t seem likely that Kelly would play this year even if healthy, so this is a smart draft-and-stash by the Broncos, who need as many talented options at the quarterback position as they can find.
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Kelly was excellent in college and, in my opinion, was one of the top four or five quarterbacks from this year’s draft, factoring in his off-field history. The Broncos could have a gem on their hands, but we won’t know until at least the 2018 season.
The same remains true for Jake Butt, the tight end out of Michigan and former All-American who tore his ACL in January. Butt returned to practice three weeks ago for the Broncos, but had been experiencing soreness in his injured knee.
Not wanting to take any risks, the team is going to wait it out with Butt and stick with what they’ve got at tight end. The Broncos selected Butt in the fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, and got an absolute steal at least in terms of what Butt can be when he’s healthy.
He was another smart draft-and-stash pick by John Elway and company, who should reap the benefits early on next year. Butt is the type of player that can be plugged in right away and play immediately.