Dennis Kelly packed his sense of humor.
The former Tennessee Titans tackle had some fun at the expense of fans and media who attended the Green Bay Packers’ training camp practice Thursday. It was his first practice with the Packers, who formally signed him earlier in the day.
Kelly took to the practice field in a No. 69 jersey that belongs to Green Bay’s Pro Bowl left tackle David Bakhtiari.
The fact that Bakhtiari is on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list because he is not yet fully healthy after reconstructive knee surgery late last season was a factor in Green Bay’s decision to add Kelly, an eight-year veteran with 104 games in the regular season and six more in the playoffs.
It is not likely that Bakhtiari will be ready to go at the start of the regular season much less the opening days of training camp. So, the sight of his jersey on the practice field caused a bit of a stir.
Bakhtiari is 6-foot-4, 310 pounds. Kelly is 6-foot-8, 321 pounds. The jersey, therefore, could not have been a perfect fit. According to Green Bay’s website, Kelly will wear No. 79 when he finally pulls on his actual uniform for that team.
The Titans released Kelly in March to create room under the salary cap. He had two years remaining on the three-year, $21 million contract he signed in 2020.
Kelly spent five seasons with Tennessee and was the starter at right tackle in 2020 after four years as the team’s primary backup at both tackle spots.
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