COSTA MESA, CA — Joshua Kelley didn’t bust out of the gate on fire coming out of the backfield during his rookie year, however entering year two Kelley has a new outlook on the season with head coach Brandon Staley.
Learning how to move to the next play can be difficult at times for a rookie dedicated to his craft as much as Kelley is to the Chargers running back group. Under Staley, he has gained more confidence, and shown his great football vision with getting in between the tackles and most importantly hanging on to the ball in the process.
“I think that he’s a really good fit for the style of runs that we have in our scheme,” Staley said on Thursday. “I think that he has shown himself in the passing game, which has been a pleasant surprise for us. He’s really shown some toughness in pass protection.
“His brain works in pass protection, too, which is important. We have a really exciting competition going on in that running back room. Josh is a great competitor, great person. I’m excited to see him when it’s live, tackling to the ground, to show what he can do.”
Last season Kelley’s confidence deteriorated, following fumbles in back-to-back games early on which didn’t lead to the greatest stretch of games. He finished the season with 354 yards with two touchdowns on 111 attempts. Determined to bounce back and have a more productive year, he wanted to make sure he got in the physical work on the field unlike last season due to COVID-19.
“Having to actually run the plays, walk through the plays, see your coaches, talk to them,” Kelley told Chargers.com. “Being able to go through things on the field with your teammates to get a good feel for what everyone’s doing around you. It makes a huge difference. It’s an advantage. Not having that last season was definitely a disadvantage for all the rookies who came in.”
What’s helped him progress is studying film and understanding the speed of the game better which helped him prepare for his second season. He knows he has the tools ans what it takes to play in this league, now it’s about putting all the factors together both mentally and physically. Truly has the power to run through defenders, excellent vision and a great change of direction in his running that gives the ability to confuse his opponents. Learning from starter Austin Ekeler has also him tremendously in the adjustment period and being a constant professional. His confidence is through the roof and showed in Training Camp.
“I want to rush for 1,000 yards, however that can be. I have a lot of high expectations for myself but I think I can reach them if I keep working and keep trusting the process,” Kelley said.
Between his work ethic and developing relationship with running backs coach Foster, Kelley can control his own destiny and him reaching his goals in all on him. He has a great chance of making the the roster probably as the team thrid back on the depth chart. His ability to have a solid performance on special teams will help create any distance between anyone being considered by the coaching for that third spot.
You can’t help but cheer for a young man who’s outlook on life is optimistic, God-fearing, as his determination and love the game shows with that Magic Johnson type smile is priceless.
He will be taking snaps in Saturday’s preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium.
