Former Tennessee Running Back John Kelly Set to Sign With New NFL Organization

The former Volunteer has a new home in the NFL.

When former Tennessee running back John Kelly was released by the Los Angeles Rams on Friday afternoon, many speculated that he would not be out of the league for very long. On Tuesday night, that speculation proved to be true after Matt Zenitz, a reporter for Al.com, revealed that sources had indicated to him that the former Volunteer was nearing a deal with the Cleveland Browns to join the organization’s practice squad.

Source: The Browns are signing former Tennessee and Los Angeles Rams running back John Kelly to their practice squad.

Was a sixth-round pick of the Rams in 2018.

— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) September 9, 2020

Kelly, who was one of the only bright spots the Vols possessed during their historically abysmal 2017 season, was selected by the Rams during the 6th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. The Michigan native chose to enter his name into the selection process after head coach Butch Jones was terminated in favor of bringing in Alabama defensive coordinator Jeremy Pruitt. While Kelly had already proved that he was a talented and capable running back at the collegiate level, it didn’t stop some Tennessee fans to be blindsided by the decision to forego his senior season.

After joining the Rams, Kelly was unable to break through to one of the top spots at the position, resulting in an endeavor that was filled with limited action on Sundays. While his time in Los Angeles was undoubtedly a tough start to the young running back’s career, it is undisputed that he has the talent and potential to put his upside on full display on the practice squad — which could result in the former Volunteer earning another chance on the field.

During his time at Tennessee, Kelly was often overshadowed by numerous recognizable names ahead of him on the depth chart. Star running back Alvin Kamara as well as Jalen Hurd got the majority of the snaps during Kelly’s tenure; however, in his last season, the Detroit product was finally able to shine as a Junior.

Kelly had a breakout game during the Vols’ 2017 season-opener against Georgia Tech, rushing for a career-high 4 touchdowns and 127-yards. Under the leadership of Kelly, the Vols were able to surge past the Yellow Jackets in double overtime to get the improbable victory by a score of 42-41. Kelly would have another elite performance in his conference-opener against Florida and ended the season as one of only four players in the nation to lead his team in both rushing and receiving yards.

Although Kelly will not appear in the match-up, the Browns’ first game with the former Volunteer on their team will be on Sunday, when the squad will travel to Baltimore to face-off against the Ravens at 1:00ET. The match-up will be televised by CBS Sports.