Fangio Provides Encouraging Update on Broncos' OLB Bradley Chubb's Health
When Von Miller went down with an ankle injury on Tuesday and we quickly learned that he would be headed for injured reserve, what intensified the anxiety in Broncos Country is the fact that Bradley Chubb isn't 100 percent as he works back from the torn ACL he suffered in Week 4 of last season.
Chubb's timetable is clear as mud and the reason for it was the apparent setback he had in his recovery that happened on August 29 during the Denver Broncos' first stadium scrimmage. Only a couple of snaps into the scrimmage, Chubb took himself off the field and was quickly attended to by trainers. Shortly thereafter, his knee was iced up, though he remained in uniform on the sideline.
Head coach Vic Fangio later said that Chubb "didn't feel right" and so the team just took precautions by keeping him out. From that point until now, Chubb has been handled with kid gloves and has been a limited participant at best.
ESPN's Adam Schefter said on Denver radio on Thursday that the Broncos aren't sure if Chubb is even going to be able to play on Monday night in the season-opener vs. the Tennessee Titans, which has added insult to injury to the Miller news. The best-case scenario is probably one in which Chubb plays on Monday but on a very limited snap count.
However, on Thursday, Coach Fangio provided an update on Chubb that should encourage fans that he's at least inching closer to being himself again.
“He came through yesterday’s practice very good," Fangio said on Thursday. "He looked better. Just as importantly, he woke up feeling better too than he had been. That’s always critical too. We’re expecting—today’s a shorter practice. We’re going to give him some good work and see how he progresses.”
Only time will tell just when the Broncos will get Chubb back in the saddle but on Wednesday, following the Miller news, Coach Fangio made one thing explicitly clear; the team will not rush the third-year player back onto the field in response to the need created by Von's injury.
Meantime, the Broncos kicked the tires on free-agent edge rusher Clay Matthews but couldn't come to an agreement and plan to sign Isaiah Irving, an ex-Fangio acolyte, to the practice squad. The Broncos will continue to look outside the building for edge rusher help but they're not just going to sign someone to sign someone.
“We’re always looking and especially our numbers are low there now at that position," Fangio said. "Yeah, we’re looking, but we’re not going to do something just for the sake of doing something.”
Chubb was listed as a limited participant in Thursday's practice once again.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
