Bradley Chubb Describes 'Weird' Rehab Process at Broncos' HQ During Coronavirus Shutdown
Denver Broncos' linebacker Bradley Chubb suffered a torn ACL in a Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Empower Field at Mile High. Chubb sustained the injury in the second half against the Jags and refused to be taken off the field during the Broncos’ final defensive series.
He would be placed on season-ending injured rserve and adding insult to injury, the Broncos dropped to 0-4. Last October, Chubb underwent surgery to repair the torn ligament in his knee.
Following the surgery, the 23-year-old pass rusher has regularly worked to rehab his left knee at the Broncos' rehabilitation and training facility. Entering the league as the No. 5 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Chubb had a dominant rookie campaign where he totaled 60 tackles (41 solo), 14 tackles for loss, 12 sacks, 21 QB hits, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Chubb garnered All-Rookie honors from Pro Football Focus and later was voted the No. 82 overall player in the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2019.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the NFL mandated a mandatory stay-at -home order, closing teams’ facilities with the exception of players who were engaged in medical rehab with a small team of trainers. This unprecedented pandemic forced the Broncos to utilize virtual conferences and meetings. Players, coaches, and organizational staff were strictly prohibited from team headquarters.
But for Chubb, the hard and painful process of rehabilitation still required the same motivation and labor, even if the training environment dramatically changed. In a recent article, ESPN's Jeff Legwold got the full inside scoop on Chubb’s experience of rehabbing at what has been a ghost town of sorts at UC Health Training Center.
"It was weird, just very quiet," Chubb told Legwold. "And it was some days people didn't feel like talking it would be a quiet room, just working out in a quiet room. We did a good job trying to make sure we had that same energy every day in training room, but it definitely wore on you seeing the same people over and over and doing the same thing over and over."
Von Miller, Chubb's teammate and friend, previously tested positive for COVID-19, which hit close to home for the young pass rusher. The scope of the pandemic surprised Chubb.
Looking back when you see that stuff on the news, in the beginning, I didn't know how serious it was," Chubb told Legwold. "When Von got sick, it was like 'OK, this thing is serious,' everything he was going through, the symptoms he had, you could tell it was something people had to take serious."
While his teammates participated in virtual meetings from home, Chubb and trainer Vince Garcia worked in the Broncos' nearly empty multi-million-dollar facility.
"It's trainers and like four guys now, it's still a small group," Chubb told Legwold.
The NFL recently permitted teams to have at maximum of 100 people in their facilities. Broncos' Head Coach Vic Fangio returned to his office last Friday, while his assistant coaches returned earlier this week. Under normal circumstances, OTAs would be in full swing which traditionally provides coaches, rookies, and veterans the valuable time to practice installation and position drills.
Fangio has previously discussed Chubb’s steady progress and is eager to get the star pass rusher back on the field. Chubb also appears to be very optimistic with his rehab and expects to practice with teammates without any restrictions, hopefully soon.
“Right now, I'm feeling good, doing a lot of different things, cutting wise, getting back into like position work,” Chubb said.
As much as safety is a priority, Chubb made it clear that football remains his first focus, though he's expressed faith in the NFL's protocols for reopening ahead of the 2020 season.
“To be honest, playing football is like my number one priority right now because of the whole injury thing,” Chubb told the AP's Arnie Stapleton on June 6. “But I feel like when it comes to the Coronavirus, the NFL has great leaders in place to make sure we’re going to be back in the safest way possible. I know these guys are going to come up with a solution.”
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