Earlier this week, John Elway wouldn’t guarantee the Broncos will stand pat at backup quarterback. The Broncos aren’t going to sign Colin Kaepernick, and they might not sign anyone if Chad Kelly continues to progress.
Kelly, who missed his rookie season with a wrist injury, gets a chance to convince the Broncos not to make a move. He passed Paxton Lynch on the depth chart by going 14-of-21 for 177 yards and two touchdowns in the preseason opener against the Vikings.
“I had a feeling he would play well,” Elway said, via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. “He’s a competitive guy. He’s played a lot of snaps. He’s instinctive. He took advantage of the opportunity that he had. He was looking forward to going out and playing and champing at the bit. It did not surprise me at all the way he played. He played very well, and he’s got good instincts. He deserves a chance to play with the twos this week.”
The Broncos will get a better idea of where they stand after another preseason game or two. They likely have seen enough from Lynch to know he’s not the answer, but they need to see more from Kelly to be sure.