Chad Kelly earned his way out of Denver both on and off the field. But the Colts have decided to look beyond the 25-year-old’s past and sign him to a free agent deal.
Indianapolis announced Monday it has signed Kelly to an undisclosed deal after he recently tried out for the team during its rookie minicamp.
Kelly was drafted in the seventh round by the Broncos in 2017 and eventually released last October after he was arrested on trespassing charges for wandering into a couple's home after 1 a.m., sitting on their couch and "mumbling incoherently." A man in the home hit Kelly in the back with an aluminum vacuum tube and forced him out of the home.
Kelly pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor criminal trespassing charge in March and agreed to one year of probation and 50 hours of community service.
Kelly made only one appearance for Denver in the regular season but had a strong 2018 preseason, completing 40 of 60 passes for 466 yards with three touchdowns to two interceptions.
As the Indianapolis Star notes, Kelly will serve as a fourth arm in training camp and will be afforded no leniency from the team if he “slips up.” The Colts had four quarterbacks in camp in 2018 but went into the season with only Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett on the active roster. Phillip Walker spent a large part of the season on the practice squad, while Brad Kaaya was placed on injured reserve in August and waived in February.