Philadelphia Eagles: Dennis Kelly’s career just keeps trucking along

On August 16, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles traded Dennis Kelly for 2014 second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham.

Now, at the time, that deal looked like a massive W for Howie Roseman; Green-Beckham was coming off of an encouraging rookie season with the Titans and with Jason Peters/Lane Johnson still playing at a Pro Bowl-caliber, swapping out his backup for a supremely talented yet troubled second-year pro was a risk worth taking.

Fast forward seven years into the future, and that bet clearly didn’t pay off.

After a single maddening season in midnight green paired up with Nelson Agholor and Jordan Matthews, DGB was out of the league entirely, and as for Kelly? Well, he just signed a one-year contract to compete with Matt Pryor and 2023 third-round pick Bernhard Raimann.

Unfortunately, the Philadelphia Eagles took the L on this one.

Dennis Kelly has traveled the league since leaving the Philadelphia Eagles.

When Lane Johnson was drafted with the fourth-overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, it basically dashed any hope of Dennis Kelly starting at right tackle long-term.

Now granted, as a rookie, Kelly started three games at right guard in place of an injured Jake Scott – remember him? – but he exclusively started at left tackle during his final three seasons at Purdue and, at 6-foot-8, 321 pounds, really projected as more of an exterior anchor than an interior stopper. With Johnson and Jason Peters playing like the best tackle tandem in the NFL, Kelly was largely relegated to the role of utility reserve and only saw action in 17 games over his final three seasons in midnight green.

So naturally, when Kelly was traded to Tennessee for DGB, the move surely was a welcomed one, even if the Titans were similarly well-stocked in the tackle department. Tasked with serving as the swingman veteran reserve behind second-year left tackle Taylor Lewan and rookie right tackle Jack Conklin – both of whom were drafted in the first round – Kelly appeared in 58 games with 16 starts and was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year, $17.25 million extension in 2020, which is very good money for a backup tackle.

With Conklin gone for Cleveland, Kelly stepped into the starting right tackle spot and played an internal role in Derrick Henrey’s 2,000-yard rushing season – the first time a Titans player – or any player really – accomplished the feat since Chris Johnson in 2009. Though that production wasn’t enough to keep his spot in Tennessee, as the Titans released the veteran tackle to free up cap space, Kelly latched on with the Green Bay Packers heading into the 2021 season and ultimately appeared in 10 games versus four starts, three at right tackle, and one on the left side.

At 32, Dennis Kelly has appeared in 114 regular season games with 51 starts. He’s played for three, soon to be four different teams and has earned just over $15 million for his trouble. While there’s no way of knowing how his career would have worked out had he remained with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016, it’s always nice to see a draftee make good, even if his path to an NFL pension has been unconventional, to say the least.