Toronto Argonauts’ quarterback Chad Kelly was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, according to the team’s injury report.
The six-foot-two, 216-pound passer left last week’s game against the Calgary Stampeders in the second quarter due to an ankle injury and did not return. Backup quarterback Cameron Dukes struggled in relief as the Argos suffered their first loss of the season by a score of 20-7.
Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie indicated following the defeat that Kelly could be held out of this week’s game in order to give him more time to rest.
Toronto is on a bye next week, so resting Kelly against the Redblacks would give the franchise quarterback extra time to fully recover from the injury. The Argos will be forced to play 10 straight games without a break after returning to action in Week 12 as they don’t have another bye for the rest of the season.
Kelly has completed 70.1 percent of his passes for 1,624 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions this season along with 20 carries for 109 yards and five scores. He is widely considered the early favourite to be named the Most Outstanding Player in the East Division this season.
The Ole Miss product signed with the Argos in 2022 following four seasons in the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos. He started the club’s regular season finale but rose to national prominence after he came off the bench in the fourth quarter of the Grey Cup to lead Toronto to victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Defensive tackle Jared Brinkman and strong-side linebacker Adarius Pickett, both of whom also suffered injuries against Calgary, did not practice on Wednesday.
The Argos (6-1) will host the Ottawa Redblacks (3-5) on Sunday, Aug. 13 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. This will be the first of three meetings between the two teams this season.
