Fangio addresses the Broncos' plan to replace Bradley Chubb's production

The Denver Broncos were supremely confident in their edge rusher talent heading into the 2019 season.

And why wouldn't they be with Von Miller and Bradley Chubb as the starting duo? However, as the team is learning the hard way, the Broncos were stacked on the edge but it was a very top-heavy unit.

If one guy goes down with injury, the team risks it all tumbling down like a losing game of Jenga. No NFL team is going to have All-Pros at every spot on a depth chart.

And considering how much money the Broncos had tied up in Von Miller and Bradley Chubb, it's understandable why GM John Elway chose to let Shaquil Barrett walk in free agency this past spring, while also deciding not to bring back former first-round pick Shane Ray.

The Broncos would go the route of youth in terms of edge depth. Justin Hollins was drafted in the fifth round out of Oregon, while Malik Reed was signed as a college free agent out of Nevada.

Dekoda Watson originally factored into the plan but the roster math and emergence of Reed and Hollins in the preseason rendered Watson expendable. He was cut on the doorstep of the season.

Now, in the wake of the Chubb injury, the onus appears to fall on Malik Reed as the next man up, though head coach Vic Fangio was reluctant to say exactly that on Monday. Is Reed ready to be a starter?

“Well, we’ll find out, Fangio said. "He played a lot of his preseason snap against other teams’ backups, so it’s not a great sample. He had some plays in there yesterday, one that he missed, so we’ll find out.”

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Fangio, ever reluctant to shower praise on any player, even the likes of Von Miller. Reed played well in Week 4 but he's going to learn quickly that when much is given (playing time) much more is expected in the NFL.

Reed is likely to be the next man up, in terms of the onus of Chubb's injury really falling on one guy. Hollins will have to factor in as well, because Miller and Reed will need to be kept as fresh as possible.

“We’ll figure out how to get a plan going and how we’ll fill that void," Fangio said. "It will probably be more of a committee thing.”

The Broncos need production at that position and Reed and Hollins are the only guys really left on the roster with the knowledge and ability to attack it. Only, since the games began to count, Hollins has been more of a liability when on the field than an asset, though in fairness, that's mostly been as an off-ball linebacker.

Meanwhile, Reed has steadily begun to pick up momentum as the season has progressed in relief of Miller and Chubb. The undrafted rookie notched his first career sack last week vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars, proving that he belongs on an NFL field.

Don't be surprised if the Broncos bring back Dekoda Watson, who's remained unsigned since the team cut him. Shane Ray is also out there, but there are some hard feelings in that relationship so don't hold your breath on a Broncos reunion.

I'm really excited to see how Malik Reed handles this opportunity that has suddenly been thrust on him. It's a sink-or-swim situation and every time Reed has been faced with such a fork in the road, he's risen to the occasion.

The biggest issue will be replacing Chubb's production in the run game, setting the edge and being a physical force out there on first and second down. Reed might struggle with that aspect but I'm not too worried about him generating pressure on third down. He's proven he can get that done.

However, he's going to go from playing less than 10% of snaps in-game to probably somewhere around 70%. Conditioning will play a part. Here's to hoping Reed is ready for the big time.

Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.