Ole Miss football fans love seeing former Ole Miss players doing well in the NFL and lately former Rebels quarterback Chad Kelly has been one to watch.
The 2018 Ole Miss football season is still just under two weeks away and Rebels fans have been patiently waiting. Thankfully there are some former Rebels like we are able to lean on for a little bit of a football fix while we wait. The 2018 NFL Preseason is in its second weekend and there have been a number of Rebels who have been shaking up the competition in position battles in fall camp throughout the league.
One NFL Rebel who has stepped up is back-up Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly. Kelly, who was drafted as ‘Mr Irrelevant’ in the 2017 NFL Draft, sat out last season as a result of a wrist injury which required surgery. The jury was still out on Kelly leading into the Broncos preseason opener although reports from the Broncos were saying Kelly had a very impressive training camp and had looked good in practice.
Game-one of the 2018 NFL Preseason may have shocked a few of Kelly’s doubters but Ole Miss fans saw Chad just do what we knew he would do. Chad Kelly went 14 of 21 for 177 yards and TDs with 1 INT against the Vikings in his NFL preseason debut and after his first touchdown drive the Denver crowd had seen enough to know what he brings to the table. On his next possession he led another drive which ended in a TD pass. Kelly would be promoted to second string this week.
Saturday night Kelly was back in action as the Broncos took on the Bears. Kelly had the more impressive numbers of the three Denver QBs going into their second preseason game and had the better numbers again. Kelly was 7 of 9 for 90 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions. Lynch, who was booed by Denver fans as soon as he stepped on the field, went 5 of 11 for 39 yards. The undisputed starter Case Keenum was 8 of 11 for 73 yards. Neither Keenum or Lynch have a TD pass in the 2018 NFL Preseason.
More Success, More Controversy
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OHT saw this coming way before now. We all knew what Chad Kelly was capable of and what he would be up against in Denver. Denver added Case Keenum in the offseason in hopes of reviving the QB position in the Mile High City. Of course, for now Keenum has played sparingly and remains somewhat a mystery for Denver fans and staff. However, Keenum is the money quarterback on the roster and many fans believe the Broncos will never let him sit the bench.
Next there is Paxton Lynch who entering his 3rd NFL season has failed to develop into the arm of the Denver franchise. Anybody who had really followed Chad and watched him play knew he would succeed given a fair shot. Swag showed up in the first preseason game and was efficient enough he made second string. So far Kelly has been the only Denver QB to throw for a score in the preseason.
Still not everybody is happy with Kelly’s preseason performance. This past week it was reported Paxton Lynch couldn’t understand why he had been demoted. It could be the same reason why one Denver fan began a GoFundMe account to raise money for the Broncos to cut Lynch. All jokes aside it is clear to everybody Chad Kelly is the more developed quarterback of the two and will certainly stay at number two as he fights to make number one.
The question for Kelly fans is this. Should the Denver offense struggle behind Keenum, how long does Elway wait to make the move to Kelly? Don’t worry we will find out soon enough. Hotty Toddy!