QB Chad Kelly left off Toronto Argonauts’ roster vs Edmonton despite dropping comeback video

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Chad Kelly will not make his official comeback in Week 15, no matter what he says on social media.

The 31-year-old quarterback was officially left off the Toronto Argonauts’ depth chart for their game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, remaining on the six-game injured list. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie already confirmed earlier in the week that Nick Arbuckle would start under centre, though there was hope that Kelly would at least dress after being limited all week in practice.

Last week, Kelly posted a video to his Instagram account featuring clips of him in an Argonauts uniform at BMO Field. The words “the comeback” were written across the screen near the end of the video, along with the date for Toronto’s upcoming home game. It appears that the team is not bound by the same timeline as that personal marketing video.

Kelly has yet to dress for the Argonauts since he suffered a fractured right tibia and fibula during the East Final last year. In 45 career regular-season CFL games, he has completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 6,871 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 23 interceptions. He has also rushed 113 times for 599 yards and 19 scores. The native of Buffalo, N.Y. won a Grey Cup with Toronto as a rookie in 2022 and was named the league’s Most Outstanding Player in 2023.

Nick Arbuckle has started all 12 of Toronto’s games this season, completing 72.8 percent of his passes for 3,828 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He has also rushed 38 times for 150 yards and two scores to lead the team in rushing until Spencer Brown passed him during the Labour Day Classic against Hamilton on Monday.

Actually making their returns to the lineup this week are American running back Deonta McMahon, Canadian long snapper Adam Guillemette, and Global defensive lineman Thiadric Hansen. Canadian offensive lineman Anthony Vandal (ankle) has been placed on the one-game injured list, while American receiver Dorian Anderson and Canadian long snapper Simon Chaves return to the practice roster.

The Toronto Argonauts (4-8) will host the Edmonton Elks (5-7) on Saturday, September 13 with kickoff slated for 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Elks got a 31-19 upset win over Calgary last week, while Toronto was on a bye.

The weather forecast in Toronto calls for a high of 24 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and CTV in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 880 CHED in Edmonton and TSN 1050 in Toronto.