Could Chad Kelly be the answer to the Broncos QB questions?
Dec 7, 2017, 12:00 AM | Updated: 4:02 pm
Through 12 games of the 2017 season, the Denver Broncos have used a new quarterback starting under center four times, with Trevor Siemian stepping into the role twice.
And heading into the final quarter of the season at 3-9 with an eye toward a rebuild in 2018, the Broncos top priority, Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian told “Schlereth & Evans” this week, should be evaluating the quarterback position.
“Well, the first question you’ve got to solve, the overarching question, is quarterback,” Polian said. “So, who is that guy? Is he in the building?”
In Polian’s view, potentially yes, in rookie gunslinger Chad Kelly.
“Certainly, talent-wise, he’s probably more talented than anybody they’ve got on the roster right now,” Polian said of the injured quarterback. “The question is do all the other parts of it fit?
“So, that’s kind of good sign in the sense that there’s somebody there that might have the ability to compete.”
It’s not the first Polian has addressed Kelly as a possible option for the Broncos over Siemian, Paxton Lynch and, now, Brock Osweiler.
In July, the ESPN analyst turned heads during a broadcast of “NFL Live” by indicating he believes Kelly has a brighter future, at least in terms of physical talent, than Siemian or Lynch.
“By the way, in the bullpen is Chad Kelly, who’s more talented than either of these two guys,” Polian said at the time,” but has a lot of growing up to do.”
Kelly, who had been battling back from wrist and knee injuries suffered before being the final pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, was officially placed on injured reserve early in November.
In final two seasons of college football at Ole Miss, Kelly threw for 50 touchdowns on just 21 interceptions. He completely 503 passes (60.4 percent) for 6,800 yards and a quarterback rating of 152.3.
However, two torn ACLs and several off-the-field issues sent Kelly, the nephew of Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, plummeting all the way draft boards to the “Mr. Irrelevant” pick in 2017.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
