One of the tough questions for Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman is what to do with OT Dennis Kelly. Reporters were able to speak to Kelly today and get an update on his situation. Tim McManus has the details.
The last time we spoke with Dennis Kelly, he said that he hoped to be back on the practice field around the start of the regular season and was “very confident” that he would avoid being placed on injured reserve.
On Tuesday he said he was “pretty confident” that the IR is not in his future. And it looks like his return date is still a ways off.
Kelly, who had back surgery to repair an L2 disc earlier this month, said he will be re-checked by doctors on September 16. He could be cleared to return to football-related activities then.
Currently the 6-8, 321-pound tackle is able to do some cardio and a little bit of agility work. The big thing will be regaining strength and getting back into football shape. Even if there are no setbacks, that could take some time.
What does Kelly do with Kelly?
Dennis is a promising young OL and you hate the thought of wasting the whole year if he’s going to be ready by late Sept. / early October. Then again, what if the injury is a nagging issue and Kelly isn’t full go for half the season? Are you wasting a valuable spot?
I’m guessing Kelly makes the roster, but if they run into early injuries, he could get shifted to IR due to necessity. He seems like a luxury item at this point.
Seems like keeping him would make the most sense. Whichever OL you decided to keep in his place would be unlikely to be any better than somebody you could find on the street during the season. Barbre and Watkins can be the first guys off the bench if somebody gets injured and if we’re down three linemen and Kelly’s not ready to go then put him on IR at that stage and pick up the best available guy.