Chad Kelly is officially back in the league. The embattled quarterback has signed with the Indianapolis Colts, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Kelly was released by the Denver Broncos midway through last season, and spent the rest of the year unsigned.
He resurfaced recently as a tryout player at the Colts' minicamp, so we knew they were interested. Kelly has always been talented, but he's also always had off-field issues.
Originally a Clemson quarterback, he was kicked off the team and spent time at a junior college before transferring to Ole Miss.
He put up big numbers there, but injury and maturity concerns caused him to slip to the last pick in the draft. He missed his entire rookie season with injury, but was able to beat out Paxton Lynch to become Case Keenum's backup last year by impressing in the preseason.
Keenum struggled early on, and for a while it looked like Kelly was about to replace him as fans rallied behind him. Then it all came crashing down, as he was arrested in a bizarre incident following Von Miller's Halloween party. He ended up pleading out to a misdemeanor second-degree criminal trespassing charge.
However, Kelly might not be out of the woods yet. Rapoport noted in a separate tweet that “the league said his situation — and possible suspension — is under review.” Even if Kelly is suspended it won't be too big of a deal, as the Colts won't be planning on him playing anytime soon.
Jacoby Brissett is entrenched as the Colts' backup behind Andrew Luck for this season. However, many people around the league think Brissett could get a shot at a starting job this offseason, so Indy's interest in a backup of the future makes some sense here.
It'll be interesting to see how Kelly looks in the preseason.
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