There really is no shortage of opinion on what the Buffalo Bills should do at the quarterback position. Whether it be from fans, the media… opinions are all over the board about what the Bills should do with Tyrod Taylor.
The one thing that GM Doug Whaley has said, though, is that they’d like to address the position for the long-term, which could mean they try to find a young player that can become that franchise player. And as soon as one player was labeled the starting quarterback at a SEC school, many fans have been interested in the prospects of him coming to the Bills.
That player is Chad Kelly — a graduate of St. Joe’s, and more notoriously, the nephew of Buffalo Bills Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly.
Following a good 2015 season, Kelly had 2016 cut short due to a devastating season-ending injury. He suffered a torn ACL and a torn lateral meniscus in his final year of eligibility, meaning his season — and career — was cut short.
“You know, it hurt me inside. But I had to re-focus, had to gather everything together and really decide just what I want to do with my life, and this is exactly what I want to do,” Kelly said. “I’m in a better position now than I have been before, and I’m trying to get better every single day to get back playing the game that I love.”
He gave a lot of credit to his family for helping him get through the tough times of being injured, and not knowing what came next with his football career.
Despite the setback heading into his draft year, Kelly decided to attend the Senior Bowl and watch practice from the sidelines, while his rehab was still going on. Considering his injury, and a tricky off-field history that he’ll have to explain in full to NFL teams, Kelly’s draft stock is difficult to project.
But all the while, some Bills fans are still quite vocal on Twitter in wanting Kelly to come to their favorite franchise — in the footsteps of his famous uncle. And for Kelly, he’s pretty keen on the idea, too.
“It’s interesting, but, you know, to be able to be around Buffalo would be a dream come true,” Kelly said Wednesday. “I think the coaching staff, they’ve got a great set of players, and the history is one of the best. So, to be able to play in front of your home team and where you grew up would be amazing.”
Kelly is certainly a polarizing draft prospect. While putting up some tantalizing throws in game action, teams also have to weight the knee injuries and the maturity factor. However, for some Bills fans — and Kelly himself — a match with Buffalo is something many parties would certainly be interested in.
