Would the Denver Broncos ever welcome Chad Kelly back? After being released and in trouble with the law, Kelly appears back to football.
No matter the outcome of the Denver Broncos’ 2018 season, one of the most disappointing individual aspects in hindsight will be the release of quarterback Chad Kelly, and the circumstances that necessitated the move.
Kelly was arrested on a trespassing charge the night of Von Miller’s big Halloween party. The Broncos were obviously extremely disappointed with Kelly, who had been exemplary in his off-field behavior up to that point in his NFL career.
He had worked his way back from injuries. He had proven himself a player with great potential in the Broncos’ preseason games where he took Paxton Lynch’s job and prevented the Broncos from going after a veteran backup to Case Keenum.
It looked like Kelly had a chance to really re-write his story as a bad boy and misfit from his college days to a mature professional who had truly changed his life.
Now with the incident a couple of months in the past, Kelly is apparently getting back to some football activities. He’s been posting on his Instagram page and recently posted this video on his Twitter page.
18 comeback . pic.twitter.com/BwXzbaRzqo
— Chad Kelly (@Chadkelly_6) December 13, 2018
Kelly’s progression over the course of the offseason may have ultimately amounted to nothing even if he hadn’t been released by the Broncos. No one knows how he would have done if he had gotten the chance to play or start for the Broncos eventually, and in all likelihood, we never will.
But no one ever permanently closed the door on Kelly coming back to Denver. Would the team bring him back? Would they want him back?
In a league starved for quarterback play, Kelly showed quite well in the preseason and any team would have been excited to see what he did from their second-year quarterback.
The Broncos knew the risk they were taking when they drafted Kelly in the first place. He was a low-risk, high reward type of player in the seventh round and there were little to no expectations. As bad as the quarterback play had been in Denver since 2016, however, Kelly’s playmaking ability — even if it was just preseason play — was exciting to watch.
If Kelly does get another NFL shot, perhaps he would opt for a different city and a new beginning completely. The fact remains, Denver is a spot where the future is there for the taking for some young quarterback.
Kelly’s former teammate Paxton Lynch couldn’t seize the opportunity. Trevor Siemian couldn’t seize the opportunity. Case Keenum isn’t playing at a high enough level to be considered the long-term option yet.
The Broncos may have moved on and even if Kelly is on his 100th chance, hopefully this time around he can get it right.