[caption id="attachment_6081" align="aligncenter" width="250" caption="Malcolm Kelly has some ability"]
[/caption]
Yesterday, I started outlining a CSN article about the depth chart at the wide receiver position for next week (and you thought that I just made this stuff up and slap it together as I go along). And I went through and made up a depth chart and started to work on the article. Then I saw something that made me remember who I had forgotten to include.
Malcolm Kelly.
One of the team's second-round picks in 2008, Kelly was out of sight and out of mind last year, spending the first season of the the Mike Shanahan regime on injured reserve with a pulled hamstring just before training camp. The injury was slow to heal and Shanahan frequently appeared to be irritated when discussing the subject of his return.
What reminded me of my error of omission was this article by John Keim of the Examiner. He caught up with Kelly after one of the team's workouts and found Kelly to be hopeful but realistic about his chances of making the Redskins in 2011.
"Everybody has to prove something," said Kelly. "For me to say I have to go the extra mile, yeah I do. Everyone knows that. But to harp on that? I just have to go play. If I can play while I'm healthy, I think that speaks for itself."
Kelly did take notice that the Redskins drafted three wide receivers in April. "You always have to bring in guys," he said.
This year will make or break Kelly's chances with the Redskins and, possibly, with the NFL. He has just 28 catches in 21 NFL games with 10 starts. Despite the fact that the 6-4 receiver was supposed to be a red zone threat he has yet to catch a touchdown pass.
Kelly's chances of making the team would be bolstered considerably if Santana Moss left as a free agent. Athough Kelly said that Moss is "a heck of a player" and that he did not want him to leave, the numbers are what they are. The team will keep five wide receivers, maybe six. If Moss is there he will be one of them along with Anthony Armstrong and third-round pick Leonard Hankerson. You have to think that returner Brandon Banks is close to a lock, although the team did draft some players with return ability. That leaves Kelly battling with draft picks Niles Paul and Aldrick Robinson, 2010 draft pick Terrence Austin, and any veteran receiver the Redskins might bring in for one or two roster spots. The absence of Moss would help clear the way for Kelly.
But making the Redskins, or making it anywhere in the NFL, is largely up to Kelly. He did not make a particularly good impression on Shanahan prior to the hamstring injury and the slow healing further damaged his reputation in the eyes of the coaches. Kelly will have a second chance at making a first impression when the lockout ends, but he will have to do it quickly.
The odds seem to be against Kelly--it is hard to imagine why the Redskins would draft three wide receivers is they expected anything out of Kelly this year--but if he could come through and be productive it would be a great boost to a team that has been struggling in the passing game for quite some time.
Comments