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Denver Broncos General Manager John Elway appeared on the 9NEWS Denver’s pre-game show tonight and has some encouraging news regarding quarterback, Chad Kelly. Elway told 9NEWS that he believes Kelly will be the backup quarterback for the Broncos come week one.
John Elway, on the 9News pregame show: "We'll see what happens tonight, but I think that Chad has done enough to secure that second spot for now."
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 31, 2018
Said he texted Jim Kelly the other night and told him Chad "has that Kelly determination and competitiveness."
Here is the full quote from Elway regarding Chad Kelly when asked if he would be the number two come week one vs. Seattle.
Yup I think so. We’ll see what happens tonight, but I think that Chad has done enough to secure that spot for now. He’s worked his tail off this offseason, really done a great job and plays with that fire. I texted Jim Kelly the other night and I said ‘He’s got that Kelly determination and competitiveness’ and you can see it when he is playing.
Kelly quickly surpassed former first-round pick, quarterback, Paxton Lynch after the first week of the preseason and never looked back. The Broncos did leave the door open to add a veteran starter but closed that door tonight by basically declaring Kelly as the number two quarterback.
Now tonight, Chad Kelly will get his first career start against the Arizona Cardinals. Sure, it will be in the fourth preseason game, but a major step forward for a player who missed nearly two years of football due to injuries/rehab.
Through three preseason games, Kelly has totaled 340 yards passing, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception, and has a quarterback rating of 107.8. Those a pretty solid numbers even if they were done during the preseason.
Not too long ago this young man dreamt about playing in the NFL...his dreams have become a reality.
— Jim Kelly (@JimKelly1212) August 30, 2018
Tonight, my nephew Chad will start his first NFL pre-season game.
All your hard work… https://t.co/XnNu5AMcT6
Kelly now gives the Broncos a potentially exciting option behind starter Case Keenum. He also gives them something they thought they had in Brock Osweiler and Paxton Lynch. That being a young “Quarterback of the Future”. Remember. Keenum only did sign a two-year deal so there is a very real possibility that Kelly could take over down the road if he continues down the path he is on.
This Broncos team has a lot of excitement and hope around it and the emergence of Chad Kelly has only added to that. Hopefully, this is a big first step into a bright and successful future for Kelly and the Broncos.