Should Kelly, not Keenum or Cousins, be the Broncos next quarterback?
Feb 26, 2018, 6:12 PM
With a report Monday indicating the Minnesota Vikings would not be franchise tagging quarterback Case Keenum, not only is there another quarterback among the offseason pickings but also another team likely vying for the services of Kirk Cousins.
Minnesota now sits in the driver seat for the soon-to-be former Washington Redskins quarterback, “Pritchard and Cecil” co-hosts Mike Pritchard and Cecil Lammey said on Monday, with the Broncos headed toward “Keenum mode.”
“The Broncos were driving. The Broncos are riding shotgun now because Minnesota’s got the wheel,” Lammey said.
But, could Denver’s future under center already be on the team?
Last week, Hall of Fame executive and ESPN analyst Bill Polian said he wasn’t sure if the Broncos would give 2017 seventh-round pick Chad Kelly a “fair shake” but that the team “drafted him for a reason and kept him for a reason.”
“He’s immensely talented physically. Now, whether or not he’s got what it takes to be the whole product, the whole picture, as an NFL quarterback remains to be seen,” said Polian, who turned heads in July during a broadcast of “NFL Live” by saying Kelly was more talented than both Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.
Kelly spent the bulk of his rookie season away from the playing field, first heading to the non-football injury list at the end of training camp and then eventually injured reserve as he recovered from wrist and knee injuries.
And because of those injuries, Lammey said Kelly fell from what he projected as “first-round talent” to the final pick in the NFL Draft.
Had Kelly come out this season instead, amid a much stronger quarterback class, Lammey said last week he’d still have him as a high-round pick.
“Luke Falk, I appreciate him. He’s kind of like Kirk Cousins, a third- or fourth-round pick. Kyle Lauletta, he’s kind of like Jimmy Garoppolo. Probably a fourth-round pick. OK, I appreciate those guys,” Lammey said. “Chad Kelly would be rated higher than them.”
During stints at Clemson (2012-13), East Mississippi Junior College (2014), and Ole Miss (2015-16), Kelly started 34 games while completing 816 passes for 10,763 yards and 97 touchdowns with 29 interceptions.
In his final two seasons, Kelly earned All-Southeastern Conference honors while setting an Ole Miss record for 22 consecutive with a passing touchdown. He also finished with the school’s third-highest career mark for passing yards (6,800) and passing touchdowns (50).
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
