WEDNESDAY: While indicating Chubb’s surgery was successful, Vic Fangio confirmed the six- to eight-week timetable. The Broncos’ bye does not come until Week 11. Chubb’s recovery going well would position him to come back before that point, and Fangio confirmed this scenario will be in play. The team exercising caution with its standout pass rusher could also lead to a return in Week 12 on Nov. 28. Chubb is now on Denver’s IR.
TUESDAY: Bradley Chubb left the Broncos’ Week 2 game early and will be back on the shelf for a bit. The Pro Bowl pass rusher will undergo arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his left ankle Wednesday, according to the team.
The fourth-year linebacker has battled multiple ankle issues this year and endured a setback in Jacksonville. Chubb missed the Broncos’ Week 1 game but returned Sunday. He will miss more time going forward, and Mike Klis of 9News notes the Broncos are expected to use an IR transaction here (Twitter link). A six- to eight-week timetable should be expected here, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
Chubb’s ankle surgery will mark his second ankle operation this year. He underwent a procedure on his right ankle this spring. He then encountered a left ankle problem ahead of Week 1. The Broncos picked up Chubb’s fifth-year option in May, and new GM George Paton identified the former top-five pick as a cornerstone player. Chubb made the Pro Bowl last season and made a run at Jevon Kearse‘s rookie sack record in 2018, recording 12 that season.
“I tried to turn the corner, and I felt it wasn’t all the way there,” Chubb said, via the Broncos’ website. “I’ve been dealing with this bone spur I’ve got in my ankle and sometimes when I try to turn the corner it gets a little annoying and I feel like a stab-type pain.”
This obviously represents a blow for the 2-0 Broncos, who have seen Von Miller return to strong form after missing the entire 2020 season. Miller and Chubb have famously not been on the field together much. Chubb missed most of the 2019 season after tearing an ACL in Week 4. Denver turned to rotational rusher Malik Reed as Miller’s primary sidekick following Chubb’s exit Sunday. Reed registered eight sacks last season. The Broncos also used a seventh-round pick on Jonathan Cooper this year; the Ohio State product would be in line to work as Denver’s third edge rusher while Chubb recovers.
Despite the Broncos’ unbeaten record, they have endured some early-season injury issues. Chubb would stand to join Jerry Jeudy and Ronald Darby on IR. Denver also placed starting inside linebacker Josey Jewell on IR on Tuesday. Jewell suffered a torn pec against the Jaguars and is out for the year.
Injuries are part of the game, but if confounds me why NFL teams don’t seek second opinions on injuries that last more than a week or two. It is clear that the medical profession is only slightly more advanced than it was decades ago, thus billion dollar enterprises should do everything they can to at least be at the pinnacle of that knowledge.