The writing was on the wall when the Green Bay Packers selected three players with left tackle experience during the 2022 NFL draft, but veteran free agent offensive tackle Dennis Kelly is leaving the team.
According to Taylor Lewan, Kelly is signing with the Indianapolis Colts.
Kelly, who turned 32 years old in January, played in 10 games and made four starts for the Packers last season. He was also the starter at right tackle for Green Bay’s divisional round loss to the San Francisco 49ers. Overall, he was on the field for 305 offensive snaps at right tackle and was important to the offensive line’s depth while dealing with injuries to David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins.
Per Pro Football Focus, Kelly allowed one sack and four pressures over 185 pass-blocking snaps during the regular season. He also committed two penalties. His strong season as the swing tackle unraveled during the postseason when he allowed a sack and five total pressures and committed one penalty as the starter at right tackle opposite Billy Turner.
The Packers were prepared for the departure. General manager Brian Gutekunst used a third-round pick on UCLA’s Sean Rhyan, a fourth-round pick on Wake Forest’s Zach Tom and a seventh-round pick on Penn State’s Rasheed Walker, who all played left tackle for multiple seasons in college and could have tackle potential at the next level.
The Packers have only four unsigned free agents: cornerback Kevin King, defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster, safety Henry Black and outside linebacker Chauncey Rivers. Outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus retired.
