Report: Bradley Chubb Had 'Minor Procedure' on Ankle, Will be Ready for Camp
Fans might recall the end of last season when Denver Broncos' rush linebacker Bradley Chubb reacted emotionally and proudly to earning his first-ever Pro Bowl nod, only to promptly never take the field again. Literally, on the heels of making the NFL's all-star game, Chubb missed the last two contests because of an ankle injury.
The Broncos hoped that a little rest and recovery would allow that ankle to heal up but apparently, the issue persists as 9NEWS' Mike Klis reported on Saturday. Chubb recently went under the knife for a 'minor procedure' on his ankle with the full expectation of him being ready to go for training camp.
As recently as last month, a social media video showed Chubb working on his pass-rush techniques with former Broncos’ star edge rusher DeMarcus Ware.
Shortly after the Chubb-Ware workout, the Broncos picked up Chubb’s fifth-year option that guarantees him a $12.716 million salary for the 2022 season.
Ankles don’t always heal according to plan, though, and it was decided Chubb should get the ankle repaired this week. Although he will not participate in the four-week OTA and minicamp offseason phase that begins Monday, he should be ready for the start of training camp and full go by the Broncos’ regular-season opener Sept. 12 at the New York Giants.
It's unfortunate that the team didn't address this issue earlier in the offseason. It would have been wise to ascertain the state of that ankle before exercising Chubb's fifth-year option. Fans can now look forward to anxiety and misgivings about Chubb's health, pitch counts during camp, and questions like, 'is he 100%?'
Hopefully, it's a quick turnaround for the former No. 5 overall pick. Chubb entered the league in 2018 and promptly rose up the all-time records by becoming one of less than a dozen players to post 12-plus sacks as a rookie.
Chubb's second year was cut short when he suffered a torn ACL in Week 4 vs. Jacksonville. He returned to the field in 2020 with all the pressure on him to manufacture an edge rush after Von Miller was lost for the season right before the opener.
It was slow going for Chubb initially as he got his game legs beneath him and his confidence in that knee rekindled. Around the fourth game, things seemed to click and he went on to have an impressive eight-game stretch that saw him produce 7.5 sacks.
Were it not for that ankle, Chubb easily finishes No. 1 on the team in sacks but when the cat's away, Malik Reed will play. Reed closed the gap with 1.5 sacks in the final two games while Chubb was out, finishing with eight on the season and the most on the team.
With Miller returning and Chubb expected back by Week 1, Reed will take a backseat as the No. 3 rush linebacker, competing with rookie seventh-rounder Jonathon Cooper and college free agent Andre Mintze.
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