Return to practice key in Kelly’s bid to remain
ASHBURN – First, Malcolm Kelly must show the Redskins that he’s healthy. He’ll finally get that chance when he returns to practice Monday.
And then? The Redskins must decide whether the third-year receiver is worth keeping around.
Kelly hasn’t practiced since July 29 thanks to his left hamstring. But the injury and long absence led to speculation about Kelly’s future with Washington. He wouldn’t say whether it’s too soon to give up on him after only two full seasons.
“They’re gonna make the decision that they want to make,” the former second-round pick said. “It’s not my call to say if it’s too early or too late. I’m pretty sure they have it in their mind what they want to do anyway.”
If that’s the case, that could bode well for Kelly. If the Redskins didn’t like him as a receiver, it’s hard to imagine them keeping him around all summer as he’s nursing another injury.
“That’s what I’m saying, but you never know,” Kelly said.
Not that he’s certain he’s part of their plan.
“I don’t know, I would hope so,” he said. “If I am, great. All I can really focus on is getting healthy and giving myself a chance to be part of the plan.”
Kelly did play in all 16 games last season, but his rookie year was marred by several nagging injuries. He also entered the 2008 draft with questions about his health.
He caught 25 passes last season, including nine for 134 yards in the last two games combined.
“Once they did start throwing me the ball, I was successful,” Kelly said. “I really [couldn’t] care less about, ‘Well, we made a mistake.’ I’m here now.”
Thursday’s preseason finale against Arizona will be Kelly’s lone chance to play in front of his new coaches. Whether that’s enough time for him to prove anything is irrelevant.
“Hopefully it is because that’s all we have left,” Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said.
But Kelly knows what he must show: that he knows the plays, even when they’re going to someone else.
“When the ball comes to me, I’ll catch the ball,” he said. “But it’s about being in the right place at the right time.”
Kelly, who said he started running full speed Thursday, said he hurt his hamstring at Donovan McNabb’s Hell Week before camp opened because he didn’t stretch properly. That day, he flew from Dallas to Washington, where he visited an active release technique doctor, before heading to Arizona.
“I was cramped up on the plane the whole time,” he said.
Next thing he knows, he’s sidelined in camp with his future uncertain.
“The clock,” he said, “has been ticking.”
