Champ Kelly is a well-respected NFL executive who very well may be the Miami Dolphins next full-time general manager. He may not have the resume like some of the others, but many believe he was brought to Miami for this reason. To take over from Chris Grier.
This week, Kelly walked the Dolphins' sidelines watching the team practice. The first time since he became the interim GM, and the first time since the trade deadline. Now, the team is his.
Fans were not exactly thrilled with the outcome at the NFL's trade deadline, but in reality, if we step back and take a look a little further away, he may have given Stephen Ross a reason to keep him around.
Champ Kelly sticking to his guns may have won support from his owner and it could earn him the Miami Dolphins GM job
There is a scene in the movie "Draft Day" when Kevin Costner's character calls the Jaguars' young and inexperienced new GM.. He fleeced him for his first-round draft pick.
On Tuesday, several teams around the NFL were calling Kelly asking for Bradley Chubb, Jaylen Waddle, and even Zach Sieler. All of them were on the table.
Kelly took the calls, he listened, and in the end, as the clock ticked down, the Dolphins' five-day GM did nothing. His lone trade was the one everyone knew would happen. Jaelan Phillips would be moved, and Miami got the compensation they wanted.
No one was giving up what Miami wanted on Tuesday. The Dolphins held firm to their convictions and wouldn't get pushed around.
Some in the media believed that the chaotic nature of his being in the role for such a short time, as well as real questions about who was calling the shots, made Kelly remain steadfast regardless of whatever was going on.
One NFL executive said they were sure who was in charge or able to make a decision. Perhaps that is true, but it has been a quiet day since the deadline passed, and no one is calling out Miami's mess nationally or locally.
Kelly has a good chance to be Ross' choice for the actual successor to Grier. It was surprising when he was hired during the offseason.
Many believe him to be the heir apparent, and with the way he didn't handle the deadline, it speaks as much positively as negatively, depending on where you stand.
The decision not to add more draft capital can be taken in several ways. Kelly could feel safe and didn't want to make his job harder by filling more holes, or it wasn't safe, and he wasn't given the go-ahead to make those moves. There is a truth somewhere in between.
While many fans were angry the Dolphins kept quiet at the deadline, this guy included, you can't argue against sticking to your guns about what you believe a player is worth, and Kelly did that.