The Denver Broncos are coming off of their bye week, and will return one of their most important defenders to the practice field. On Monday, head coach Vic Fangio told reporters that pass-rusher Bradley Chubb will practice this week after he was placed on injured reserve in September with an ankle injury, per NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
This starts the 21-day clock for Chubb to be officially activated from IR. The Pro Bowl pass-rusher was forced to undergo arthroscopic ankle surgery to repair an injury aggravated in Denver’s Week 2 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded one tackle in 19 defensive snaps.
“I did everything I could to manage it and to try to come back and play,” Chubb said, per the Broncos’ official website. “I took the New York week … trying to calm it down just a little bit, and then this Jacksonville week I tried to do everything to get back on the field, and unfortunately, all those things weren’t working in my favor. The thing (to do) is now just to go in, clean it up and be right back.”
This is welcomed news for a Broncos team that just traded away Von Miller a few weeks ago. The defense’s performances have been up and down over the past few weeks. After scoring an upset victory over the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 9, Denver fell flat against Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles two Sundays ago. Chubb recorded 42 combined tackles and 7.5 sacks in 14 games played last season, as he earned his first Pro Bowl honors. The former No. 5 overall pick burst onto the scene as a rookie with 12 sacks, but missed 12 games in 2019 due to an ACL tear.
It remains to be seen when Chubb will feel healthy enough to be elevated to the active roster, but the fact that he’s returning to the practice field is a notable one. Denver enters Week 12 with the No. 8 defense in the league, and this unit will receive a considerable boost with the return of Chubb — whenever that is.
