Colts’ Chad Kelly Has ‘Progressed A Lot As A Quarterback’ According To Coach Frank Reich
The Indianapolis Colts have a revamped quarterback room, but that doesn’t mean the team has forgotten about Chad Kelly. In a recent appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, head coach Frank Reich sang Kelly’s praises, according to The Buffalo News.
“I cannot tell you how happy we are with Chad,” Reich said when asked about Kelly. “He’s progressed a lot as a quarterback. He really works hard at it.”
The Colts QB is the nephew of Hall-of-Famer Jim Kelly and Eisen made it clear that was the reason he asked about someone who appeared in exactly one game in the last two years.
“I am as close to Jim as anybody and I know the Kelly clan really well and Chad is a true Kelly,” Reich responded. “If you’re a Kelly, that’s a guy you want in the bunker with you.
The coach added the quarterback has worked hard on his game over the offseason. Reich also called him a good teammate. The coach said he knows there are going to be four quarterbacks in the Colts camp this fall and it will be a real battle to stay on the roster.
Kelly was signed away from the Denver Broncos last May. He was with the team through the spring, summer, and fall camp, but was suspended for the first two games of the regular season, stemming from a second-degree trespassing charge. When he returned from suspension, the quarterback was waived but signed to the Colts’ practice squad. In November, he was activated to the full roster, but didn’t make it into a game. Chosen by the Broncos as the last pick in the 2017 NFL draft, he played in one game in 2018, kneeling down to end the first half in a Broncos’ loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
Reich told Eisen Kelly’s problems off the field are well known, but he’s made strides since joining the Colts to put all that behind him. If he wants to stick on the Colts’ active roster, he’ll most likely have to beat out last year’s starter Jacoby Brissett and the team’s fourth-round pick Jacob Eason. As The Inquisitr previously reported, some Colts fans have already dubbed Eason as the heir-apparent at the starting quarterback position. The team’s front office — as well as Reich — has tried to downplay those expectations.
Kelly will be competing against Brissett and Eason for the backup quarterback position. Earlier in the offseason, the Colts signed former Los Angeles Chargers star Phillip Rivers to a one-year deal, cementing him as their starter.
