The Denver Broncos used the last pick of the 2017 NFL Draft on quarterback Chad Kelly and he has been released after a legal incident.
The Denver Broncos have decided to move on from second-year quarterback Chad Kelly, who was the final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft and spent his entire rookie season recovering from injuries.
Kelly came into the NFL with major question marks surrounding both his health and his off-field transgressions which date back to his high school days. Despite the long list of off-field issues, the Broncos were willing to take a shot on Kelly and more than a year into his development, there were signs of incredible progression, both maturity-wise and on the field.
Unfortunately, after his latest run-in with the law (overnight Tuesday), Kelly has been waived and the Broncos are moving on. The team released the following statement after letting go of Kelly:
"“This was a decision that we made as an organization,” John Elway said. “After reviewing all the information and in talking with Vance (Joseph) and Joe (Ellis), we agreed that releasing Chad was the right thing to do. Even though Chad’s no longer part of our team, we’ve offered to help him however we can and are supportive of him in every possible way.”John Elway (quote via Broncos PR)"
Where does this leave the Broncos?
Immediately, the impact this move has on the roster is that former Kansas City Chiefs fifth-round pick Kevin Hogan, who has started some games in the NFL, becomes the Broncos’ backup quarterback. Hopefully, the team will provide some kind of update as to where Hogan is in his development and understanding of the offense, but at this point, that’s an unknown.
The Broncos did value Hogan highly enough after seeing him in the preseason when they played the Washington Redskins to give him a 53-man roster spot knowing that they could have very easily used that spot on another skill player.
This also eliminates any gray area over the course of the next eight months as to whether or not the Broncos need to pursue a young quarterback moving forward.
It’s becoming clearer by the week that Case Keenum is not going to be the long-term option for Denver, and he wasn’t necessarily signed to be anyway.
It’s a longshot that Hogan could be the long-term answer as well, so the situation facing the Broncos right now at the quarterback position is just about as unclear as it gets.
Kelly played really well in the preseason and looked like a candidate to start at some point this season even. The Broncos may have given Kelly a shot if they were out of contention at some point, but any plans they had of seeing what he could do in regular season action after a promising preseason are gone.
Hopefully, Kelly is able to get the help he needs to get his life in order, as this appears to have been a significant relapse of sorts. Kelly had been very active in Broncos community events and sounded like a mature young player when speaking with the media over the course of the offseason and preseason as he took Paxton Lynch’s job.
This is a really disappointing development for the Broncos and the potential future of the organization. Perhaps the hopes for Kelly were more of the pie-in-the-sky variety, but he showed promise and that’s more than a number of young quarterbacks in Denver can say over the last few years.
The Broncos are back to square one.