Chad Kelly clip on Twitter has Brandon Stokley asking, ‘What if?’
Feb 8, 2019, 4:35 PM | Updated: Feb 11, 2019, 12:39 am
A quick five-second clip posted to the Twitter account of former Denver Broncos quarterback Chad Kelly on Thursday had “Stokley and Zach” co-host Brandon Stokley wondering, “What if?”
The video shows Kelly, presumably working on an NFL comeback, hitting a wide receiver downfield on a post route with a laser pass.
“It just leaves me empty inside. That’s what it does to me. It really does,” Stokley said. “Who would he have been here? I don’t know, and that’s the problem. That’s what pains me.”
— Chad Kelly (@Chadkelly_6) February 7, 2019
Denver released Kelly on Oct. 24, a day after the backup signal-caller was arrested on charges of first-degree criminal trespassing.
Earlier during the 2018 preseason, Kelly, selected with the last pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, had earned the affection of many in Broncos Country with his play and whispers about possibly taking over at quarterback for starter Case Keenum had already begun to swirl.
“Every time you see Chad Kelly or hear his name or watch something like that, you’re just like, what if? What if he was still here last year? What if we still had him on our roster? What would we be looking at right now if he would have got in the lineup and played three or four games, played a couple games?” Stokley said.
“That, to me, is what I think about whenever I see him throwing.”
Stokley said that not only would Kelly likely have seen the field for the Broncos down the stretch in 2018, with the postseason out of reach, but also just being on the team he would have quelled a lot of the speculation about the Broncos options at quarterback this offseason.
“I’m not saying he’s going to be a franchise quarterback, but I would love to take a look at him. And if he showed you something, now that frees you up. It frees you up from a lot of the quarterback talk this offseason,” Stokley said.
In the end, Stokley said he hopes Kelly can find an opportunity elsewhere in the NFL, but his co-host, Zach Bye, said it’s unlikely it’ll ever be a strong as the opportunity to start for Denver late last season.
“Unfortunately for Chad Kelly, the potential of him playing Week 16-17 this past year, had he been on the roster, he may never get that kind of opportunity again,” Bye said. “He may catch on with another club. He may play in some preseason games. But to start regular season games, like he probably would have or may have Week 16-17, that type of opportunity may never come his way.”
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
