John Kelly (running back)

American football player (born 1996)

American football player

John Kelly

Kelly with the Cleveland Browns in 2021

Personal information
Born:|  (1996-10-04) October 4, 1996 (age 28)
Joliet, Illinois, U.S.
Height:| 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:| 205 lb (93 kg)
Career information
Position:| Running back
High school:| Oak Park (Oak Park, Michigan)
College:| Tennessee (2015–2017)
NFL draft:| 2018: 6th round, 176th pick
Career history

* Los Angeles Rams (2018–2019)
* Cleveland Browns (2020–2023)
* Baltimore Ravens (2024)
* Los Angeles Chargers (2024)*
* Cleveland Browns (2024)

* Offseason and/or practice squad member only

Career NFL statistics as of 2024
| Rushing yards:| 96

|

Rushing average:| 3.0
Receptions:| 2
Receiving yards:| 27
Stats at Pro Football Reference

John Marshall Kelly Jr. (born October 4, 1996) is an American professional football running back. He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers.

## Early life

[edit]

Born in Joliet, Illinois, and later moving to Detroit, Michigan at the age of 12, Kelly attended Oak Park High School in Oak Park, Michigan. He played on the football team for head coach Greg Carter.[1] He was a three-year starter for the Knights and contributed on offense as a running back, on defense as a cornerback, and a returner on special teams. As a senior, he recorded 25 touchdowns on offense and 39 tackles on defense. He was named to the Associated Press Michigan All-State Team.[2] Kelly received offers from Tennessee, Michigan, Michigan State, Iowa, Cincinnati, and Maryland among others.[3] Kelly committed to the University of Tennessee to play college football under head coach Butch Jones.[4]

## College career

[edit]

Kelly attended and played college football for the University of Tennessee from 2015 to 2017.[5]

### Freshman year

[edit]

As a freshman in the 2015 season, Kelly was the third running back behind Jalen Hurd and Alvin Kamara. He saw occasional time in relief and late-game situations. He made his collegiate debut in the season opener against the Bowling Green Falcons. In the 59–30 victory, he had eight carries for 29 yards.[6] After various appearances throughout the season, he scored his first career touchdown, a one-yard rush in the fourth quarter, in the 2016 Outback Bowl in the 45–6 victory over the Northwestern Wildcats.[7] He finished the season with 40 carries for 165 yards and a touchdown.[8]

### Sophomore year

[edit]

As a sophomore in the 2016 season, Kelly started the season in a similar role to the previous year as Hurd and Kamara both returned. He made his season debut in the 2016 Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol against Virginia Tech. In the 45–24 victory, he had one carry for four yards and a touchdown.[9] Later on, an opportunity arose for Kelly, as Hurd had some team issues and did not play in the game against Texas A&M. In the game against Texas A&M, Kelly was the second running back behind Kamara. He had 13 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown in the double overtime loss.[10] After a quiet game against Alabama,[11] he had 14 carries for 94 yards in a loss against South Carolina.[12] After the loss, Hurd quit the team and Kelly firmly took the role as the second running back. In the game against Tennessee Tech, he had seven carries for 104 yards and a touchdown.[13] After some solid performances to close the regular season, he had 15 carries for 70 yards and a touchdown in the victory over Nebraska in the 2016 Music City Bowl.[14] Overall, in his sophomore season, Kelly had 98 carries for 630 yards and five touchdowns.[15]

### Junior year

[edit]

With Kamara entering the 2017 NFL draft, Kelly returned as the main running back for the Volunteers for the 2017 season. Kelly started the season sharing the backfield with Ty Chandler and Carlin Fils-Aime. In the season opener against Georgia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Kelly had a career day in Tennessee's 42–41 double overtime victory. In the game, he had 19 carries for 128 yards and four rushing touchdowns and five receptions for 35 yards.[16] In the 26–20 loss to Florida Gators, he had 19 carries for 141 yards and a rushing touchdown. In addition, he had six receptions for 96 yards in the game.[17] On September 23, against Massachusetts, he had 25 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown.[18] On September 30, against Georgia, he had 44 rushing yards and 47 receiving yards in the 41–0 loss.[19] On November 4, he recorded 20 carries for 79 yards and two touchdowns against Southern Miss.[20] On November 18, against LSU, he had 25 carries for 47 yards, three receptions for 31 yards, and threw a 10-yard pass in the 30–10 loss.[21] In his final collegiate game, a 42–24 loss to Vanderbilt, he had 10 carries for 20 yards and a rushing touchdown.[22] Overall, he finished the 2017 season with 778 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, 37 receptions, and 299 receiving yards.[23] On December 29, 2017, Kelly declared his intentions to enter the 2018 NFL draft.[24]

### Statistics

[edit]

Season  | Team  | Conf  | Class  | Pos  | GP  | Rushing  | Receiving

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|
|
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Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD
2015 | Tennessee | SEC | FR | RB | 7 | 40 | 165 | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0
2016 | Tennessee | SEC | SO | RB | 11 | 98 | 630 | 6.4 | 5 | 6 | 51 | 8.5 | 0
2017 | Tennessee | SEC | JR | RB | 11 | 189 | 778 | 4.1 | 9 | 37 | 299 | 8.1 | 0
Career | 29 | 327 | 1,573 | 4.8 | 15 | 43 | 350 | 8.1 | 0

## Professional career

[edit]

Pre-draft measurables  Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

5 ft 9+7⁄8 in
(1.77 m)  | 216 lb
(98 kg)  | 31+3⁄8 in
(0.80 m)  | 9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m) | 4.64 s | 1.58 s | 2.69 s | 4.51 s | 7.13 s | 35.0 in
(0.89 m) | 10 ft 0 in
(3.05 m) | 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[25][26]

### Los Angeles Rams

[edit]

Kelly was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[27] He was selected by the Rams through a pick that was previously acquired from the New York Giants in exchange for Alec Ogletree. He signed a four-year contract on June 9, 2018.[28] He joined a running backs unit of Todd Gurley and Malcolm Brown.[29] During the game against the Detroit Lions in Week 13, Brown suffered a clavicle injury, giving Kelly the opportunity for playing time.[30] He made his NFL debut on special teams against the Chicago Bears in Week 14, playing seven snaps.[31] In the following game, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded his first professional carries with two for four yards.[32] With Gurley sitting out Week 16, Kelly recorded 10 carries for 40 yards and had a nine-yard reception against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 16.[33] Gurley again was inactive for Week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers, giving Kelly the opportunity to have 15 carries for 30 rushing yards and a 18-yard reception.[34] In the Divisional Round against the Dallas Cowboys, he had a special teams tackle in his playoff debut.[35] He saw playing time on special teams in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl LIII.[36][37] Overall, in his rookie year, he finished with 74 rushing yards.[38]

Kelly was waived during final roster cuts on August 31, 2019,[39] but was signed the next day to the Rams' practice squad.[40] He was promoted to the active roster on October 12, 2019.[41] He was waived on November 16, 2019, and re-signed to the practice squad.[42] He was promoted back to the active roster on December 28, 2019.[43] He was waived on September 4, 2020.[44]

### Cleveland Browns (first stint)

[edit]

Kelly was signed by the Cleveland Browns' to their practice squad on September 9, 2020.[45] He was released on December 15,[46] but re-signed to the practice squad the next day.[47]

The Browns signed Kelly to a reserve/futures contract on January 19, 2021.[48] Kelly was waived by the Browns on August 31.[49] Kelly was re-signed to the Browns' practice squad on September 1.[50] He was promoted to the active roster on October 19.[51] He was waived on November 20 and re-signed to the practice squad.

The Browns signed Kelly to a reserve/futures contract on January 19, 2022.[52] The Browns terminated Kelly's contract on August 30, 2022.[53] The Browns signed Kelly to their practice squad on August 31, 2022.[54] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 9, 2023.[55] He was waived on August 29, 2023.[56] He was re-signed to the practice squad on October 27.[57] Kelly was released on November 21 and re-signed on November 28.[58][59] He signed a reserve/future contract on January 15, 2024.[60]

Kelly was released by the Browns on August 12, 2024.[61]

### Baltimore Ravens

[edit]

On August 13, 2024, Kelly signed with the Baltimore Ravens.[62] He was released on August 27, and re-signed to the practice squad.[63][64] Kelly was called up to play in two games for the Ravens. He played zero offensive snaps, but had two kick returns for 46 yards. Kelly was released on October 1. [65]

### Los Angeles Chargers

[edit]

On December 2, 2024, Kelly signed with the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad.[66]

### Cleveland Browns (second stint)

[edit]

On December 31, 2024, the Cleveland Browns signed Kelly to their active roster.[67]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Purcell, Jared (January 22, 2015). "Oak Park's John Kelly picks Tennessee as his future home over U-M, MSU and will be a RB". mlive.com. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
2. ^ "John Kelly Biography". University of Tennessee Athletics. Archived from the original on June 20, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
3. ^ "John Kelly Recruit Interests". 247sports.com. Archived from the original on September 19, 2017. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
4. ^ "John Kelly, Tennessee, Running Back". 24/7 Sports. Archived from the original on September 15, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
5. ^ "John Kelly College Stats". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 12, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
6. ^ "Bowling Green State vs Tennessee Box Score, September 5, 2015". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
7. ^ "Outback Bowl - Northwestern vs Tennessee Box Score, January 1, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
8. ^ "John Kelly 2015 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
9. ^ "Tennessee vs Virginia Tech Box Score, September 10, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
10. ^ "Tennessee at Texas A&M Box Score, October 8, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
11. ^ "Alabama at Tennessee Box Score, October 15, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
12. ^ "Tennessee at South Carolina Box Score, October 29, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
13. ^ "Tennessee Tech at Tennessee Box Score, November 5, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
14. ^ "Music City Bowl - Nebraska vs Tennessee Box Score, December 30, 2016". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
15. ^ "John Kelly 2016 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
16. ^ "Tennessee vs Georgia Tech Box Score, September 4, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
17. ^ "Tennessee at Florida Box Score, September 16, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 19, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
18. ^ "Massachusetts at Tennessee Box Score, September 23, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
19. ^ "Georgia at Tennessee Box Score, September 30, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
20. ^ "Southern Mississippi at Tennessee Box Score, November 4, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2017.
21. ^ "LSU at Tennessee Box Score, November 18, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
22. ^ "Vanderbilt at Tennessee Box Score, November 25, 2017". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 7, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
23. ^ "John Kelly 2017 Game Log". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
24. ^ Wilson, Mike (December 29, 2017). "Tennessee Vols running back John Kelly declares for NFL Draft". Knox News. Archived from the original on January 3, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
25. ^ "John Kelly Combine Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
26. ^ "John Kelly, Tennessee, RB, 2018 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
27. ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 18, 2023.
28. ^ Kremenjas, Sosa (April 28, 2018). "Los Angeles Rams select Tennessee RB John Kelly". TurfShowTimes.com. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
29. ^ "2018 Los Angeles Rams Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
30. ^ Ortenberg, Andrew (December 4, 2018). "Rams RB Malcolm Brown has clavicle injury, return timetable unclear". Rams Wire. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
31. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Chicago Bears – December 9th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
32. ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Rams – December 16th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 30, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
33. ^ "Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals – December 23rd, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
34. ^ "San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – December 30th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 7, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
35. ^ "Divisional Round - Dallas Cowboys at Los Angeles Rams - January 12th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on June 11, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
36. ^ "NFC Championship - Los Angeles Rams at New Orleans Saints - January 20th, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 23, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
37. ^ "Super Bowl LIII - Los Angeles Rams vs. New England Patriots - February 3rd, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 4, 2019. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
38. ^ "John Kelly 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
39. ^ Han, Jamie (August 31, 2019). "Rams trim roster down to 53 players". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2019. Retrieved August 31, 2019.
40. ^ Han, Jamie (September 1, 2019). "Rams sign 10 practice squad players". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2019. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
41. ^ "Los Angeles Rams rule RB Todd Gurley OUT for Week 6 vs. San Francisco 49ers, promote RB John Kelly from practice squad, waive WR Nsimba Webster". Turf Show Times. SB Nation. October 12, 2019. Archived from the original on November 28, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
42. ^ DaSilva, Cameron (November 16, 2019). "Rams add Nsimba Webster to 53-man roster, waive RB John Kelly". Rams Wire. USA Today. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
43. ^ "Rams' John Kelly: Brought to active roster". CBSSports.com. December 28, 2019. Archived from the original on January 29, 2020. Retrieved January 29, 2020.
44. ^ Jackson, Stu (September 4, 2020). "Rams waive 17 players ahead of 53-man roster deadline". TheRams.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
45. ^ "Browns sign RB John Kelly to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 9, 2020. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
46. ^ "John Kelly: Shown door by Browns". CBSSports.com. December 15, 2020. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
47. ^ "John Kelly: Back with Cleveland". CBSSports.com. December 16, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2021.
48. ^ "Browns sign RB John Kelly". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 19, 2021. Archived from the original on May 28, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
49. ^ Gribble, Andrew (August 31, 2021). "Browns announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2021 season". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on August 17, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
50. ^ "Browns sign 11 to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 1, 2021. Archived from the original on August 30, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
51. ^ "Browns place RB Kareem Hunt and LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah on IR, sign RB John Kelly to active roster". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
52. ^ "Browns sign RB John Kelly Jr. to reserve/futures contract". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 19, 2022. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
53. ^ Poisal, Anthony (August 30, 2022). "Browns announce initial 53-man roster heading into 2022 season". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
54. ^ "Browns claim QB Kellen Mond, announce 12 practice squad members". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 31, 2022. Archived from the original on October 6, 2022. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
55. ^ "Browns sign 10 players to reserve/futures contracts". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 9, 2023. Archived from the original on January 12, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2023.
56. ^ "Browns reduce roster to 53". ClevelandBrowns.com. August 29, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
57. ^ "Browns sign RB John Kelly Jr. to the practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. October 27, 2023. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
58. ^ "Browns place S Rodney McLeod on injured reserve". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 21, 2023. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
59. ^ "Browns sign RB John Kelly Jr. to practice squad". ClevelandBrowns.com. November 28, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
60. ^ "Browns sign nine to reserve/futures contracts". ClevelandBrowns.com. January 15, 2024. Retrieved February 6, 2024.
61. ^ Kinnan, Cory (August 12, 2024). "Browns overhaul bottom of the 90-man roster in handful of moves". Browns Wire. USA Today. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
62. ^ Mink, Ryan (August 13, 2024). "Ravens Sign Veteran Running Back". Baltimore Ravens. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
63. ^ Brown, Clifton (August 27, 2024). "Ravens Make Cuts, Set 53-Man Roster". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
64. ^ Mink, Ryan (August 28, 2024). "Ravens Sign 15 Players to Practice Squad". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved October 26, 2024.
65. ^ Ryan, Matt (October 1, 2024). "Ravens Release Veteran Running Back, Sign Linebacker". BaltimoreRavens.com. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
66. ^ "John Kelly: Gets chance with Chargers". CBS Sports. December 2, 2024. Retrieved December 4, 2024.
67. ^ Allen, Ely (December 31, 2024). "Minor NFL Transactions: 12/31/24". Pro Football Rumors. Retrieved January 2, 2025.

## External links

[edit]

* Career statistics from ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
* Collegiate statistics at Sports-Reference.com
* John Kelly on Twitter
* Tennessee Volunteers bio

* v
* t
* e

Tennessee Volunteers rushing leaders

* Lund (1945–46)
* Littleford (1947–48)
* Sizemore (1949)
* Kozar (1950, 1952)
* Lauricella (1951)
* Wade (1953)
* Tracy (1954)
* J. Majors (1955)
* Bronson (1956)
* Gordon (1957)
* B. Majors (1958)
* Glass (1959–60)
* Faircloth (1961, 1963)
* Canale (1962)
* Mitchell (1964)
* Chadwick (1965, 1967)
* Fulton (1966)
* Pickens (1968)
* Watson (1969–71)
* Stanback (1972–73)
* Morgan (1974–75)
* Emmons (1976)
* Finch (1977)
* Streater (1978)
* Simpson (1979)
* Berry (1980–81)
* Coleman (1982)
* Jones (1983–84)
* Davis (1985)
* Howard (1986)
* Cobb (1987–88)
* Webb (1989)
* Thompson (1990)
* Stewart (1991, 1994)
* Garner (1992–93)
* Graham (1995–96)
* Lewis (1997, 1999)
* Henry (1998, 2000)
* Stephens (2001)
* Houston (2002–03)
* Riggs Jr. (2004)
* Foster (2005, 2007–08)
* Coker (2006)
* Hardesty (2009)
* Poole (2010–11)
* Neal (2012–13)
* Hurd (2014–15)
* Dobbs (2016)
* Kelly (2017)
* Chandler (2018–19)
* Gray (2020)
* Small (2021)
* Wright (2022–23)
* Sampson (2024)

* v
* t
* e

Los Angeles Rams 2018 NFL draft selections

* Joseph Noteboom
* Brian Allen
* John Franklin-Myers
* Micah Kiser
* Ogbonnia Okoronkwo
* John Kelly
* Jamil Demby
* Sebastian Joseph
* Trevon Young
* Travin Howard
* Justin Lawler

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*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template