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Bradley Chubb

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/4/22-1/5/22

January 5th, 2022 at 11:32pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are Tuesday and Wednesday’s activations from and placements on the reserve/COVID-19 lists:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Jared Cook, LB Damon Lloyd (remains on IR)

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

Broncos Place Bradley Chubb, Jerry Jeudy On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 31st, 2021 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already favored before the Broncos’ run of positive COVID-19 tests, the Chargers keep learning of more Denver starters who will miss Sunday’s game.

The Broncos will be down Bradley Chubb, Jerry Jeudy and linebacker Baron Browning on Sunday due to positive coronavirus tests. They also placed rotational edge rusher Jonathan Cooper and backup defensive lineman McTelvin Agim on their reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.

[RELATED: Broncos To Start Drew Lock In Week 17]

Additionally, the Broncos could also be without Courtland Sutton. Vic Fangio said the recently extended wideout could soon be moved to the team’s virus list, though that has not happened as of Friday afternoon (Twitter links via 9News’ Mike Klis). If Sutton ends up being shelved, the Broncos will likely be down to Kendall Hinton as their top wide receiver in Los Angeles. The team placed Tim Patrick on its virus list Wednesday.

Thirteen Broncos have been placed on the virus list over the past three days. Defensive line coach Bill Kollar also will miss Sunday’s game after a positive test. Chubb and Jeudy have each missed extensive time this season. A second 2021 ankle surgery sidelined Chubb for much of the year, while Jeudy missed most of the season’s first half because of a high ankle sprain sustained in Week 1.

The NFL moved three Week 15 games to new dates but has since altered its protocols twice in order to limit player unavailability. No games have been moved since, with the NFL playing Dolphins-Saints as scheduled despite New Orleans’ run of positive tests, and it should be expected the Broncos-Chargers rematch will be played Sunday.

While the Broncos are not technically eliminated, their losses to the Bengals and Raiders all but buried them in the AFC wild-card race. The Chargers have a 35% chance to qualify for the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight.com.

Bradley Chubb To Return In Week 12

November 27th, 2021 at 1:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos will have their top pass rusher back Sunday. After a two-plus-month absence, Bradley Chubb is set to return, with Mike Klis of 9News tweeting the Pro Bowl outside linebacker will be activated off IR.

Chubb’s progress slowed late this week, due to a setback in practice, per Klis (on Twitter). Vic Fangio declared him “50-50” to suit up against the Chargers. It appears the fourth-year defender has shown enough to return, a development that represents big news for a Broncos team that has seen much change at the linebacker spot since Chubb’s lone 2021 cameo — in Week 2.

Two ankle surgeries marred Chubb’s 2021. The second knocked him out for a lengthy stretch, providing the former top-five pick’s second extended absence of his career. In the time since Chubb last played, the Broncos saw inside starters Josey Jewell and Alexander Johnson suffer season-ending injuries. The team also ended the Chubb-Von Miller partnership, one that saw injuries prevent it from making much of an impact over the past three seasons, by trading the future Hall of Famer to the Rams.

After recovering from the ACL tear that ended his 2019 season early, Chubb recorded 7.5 sacks and 19 QB hits last season. The North Carolina State product registered 12 as a rookie. New GM George Paton, after picking up Chubb’s fifth-year option, called him a core player. Given Chubb’s injury issues, this upcoming stretch run stands to be pivotal for his future — and the Broncos’ hopes at making a late playoff push.

Broncos’ Bradley Chubb Returns To Practice

November 22nd, 2021 at 1:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Broncos pass rusher Bradley Chubb has been designated for return from injured reserve, according to head coach Vic Fangio (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Chubb, who has missed all but one game this year, will be eligible to return inside of the next 21 days. 

[RELATED: Broncos, Courtland Sutton Agree To Extension]

The fourth-year linebacker has battled multiple ankle issues in recent years. His latest setback emerged in Week 2, prompting arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur. At long last, his left ankle is back to normal — or at least closer to it.

Injuries have hampered Chubb throughout his career; his medical chart includes trouble with his other ankle and a 2019 ACL tear that limited him to just four games. Still, the Broncos picked up Chubb’s fifth-year option in May, and new GM George Paton cited the former top-five pick as a cornerstone talent.

Chubb has proven to be an impact player when healthy. In 2018, his 12 sacks threatened Jevon Kearse‘s all-time rookie sack record. And, just last year, he earned a Pro Bowl nod while notching 7.5 sacks.

Much has changed since Chubb’s last time out on the field. Now at the .500 mark in the sardine-packed AFC West, the Broncos are just clinging to Wild Card chances. Meanwhile, his longtime partner Von Miller is out in Los Angeles.

If all goes well for Chubb, he could re-debut as soon as Sunday when the Broncos host the Chargers.

Broncos GM: Two Other Teams Called On Von Miller

November 2nd, 2021 at 6:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos’ post-Peyton Manning decline led to Von Miller landing in trade rumors ahead of recent trade deadlines, and first-year GM George Paton pulled the trigger this year by sending the future Hall of Fame edge rusher to the Rams on Monday. Other teams showed interest, but the Rams won out.

Two other teams called the Broncos on Miller, Paton said Tuesday (via The Athletic’s Lindsay Jones, on Twitter). However, the Rams are believed to have made by far the best offer. The other interested franchises did not offer the Broncos anything of substance for Miller, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. This essentially put Paton to a decision on keeping the decorated sack artist for the stretch run and considering another extension or taking Los Angeles’ offer of two 2022 Day 2 picks — which came after the Broncos agreed to pay most of Miller’s prorated base salary.

Trade discussions began in earnest Friday and wrapped up Sunday night, Paton said (via The Athletic’s Nick Kosmider, on Twitter). Miller met with Paton, John Elway and CEO Joe Ellis on Monday morning. Paton said he wanted to “do right by” Miller, the Broncos’ all-time sack leader and by far the team’s longest-tenured player.

The eight-time Pro Bowler will now join Aaron Donald and Leonard Floyd on the Rams’ front seven and catch on with a 7-1 team. Miller missed the Broncos’ Week 8 game against Washington, which featured the team’s second-string edge rushers faring well, but is not believed to have suffered a serious injury in Denver’s Week 7 loss in Cleveland.

Miller, 32, is in the final months of the six-year, $114.1MM extension he signed with the Broncos at the 2016 franchise tag deadline. The Rams will have exclusive negotiating rights with Miller ahead of free agency, but they already have Donald and Floyd signed to big-ticket contracts. Being cuffed via the fifth-year option in 2015 and franchise-tagged in ’16, Miller has never been a free agent. His upcoming Rams performance will go a long way in shaping his 2022 market. Miller has 4.5 sacks this season, though none have come since Week 4.

After acquiring Miller and Matthew Stafford, the Rams now are without first- and second-round picks in 2022. While the Rams dealt the Broncos a third as well, the Lions hiring previous Rams college scouting director Brad Holmes as GM brought Los Angeles back an additional third-rounder in next year’s draft.

As for the Broncos, the 4-4 team is still without Bradley Chubb. Miller and Chubb each ran into significant injuries during their three-plus seasons together, and the duo last finished a game together in September 2019. Paton hopes Chubb can return after Denver’s Week 11 bye, NFL.com’s James Palmer adds (on Twitter). Chubb, who missed most of the 2019 season with an ACL tear, has undergone two ankle surgeries this year. Denver, which has lost both starting inside linebackers for the season, used Malik Reed and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper as outside linebacker starters in Week 8. Recent trade acquisition Stephen Weatherly collected a sack in rotational duty.

Broncos’ Bradley Chubb To Undergo Surgery

September 22nd, 2021 at 4:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

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.

Injury Updates: Henderson, Chubb, Hasty

September 20th, 2021 at 8:05pm CST by Ben Levine

Some injury updates from around the NFL:

  • Rams running back Darrell Henderson has a rib cartilage injury, coach Sean McVay revealed today (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry on Twitter). The team will check in on Henderson again on Friday, and there’s optimism he’ll be able to play against the Buccaneers on Sunday. The 24-year-old has collected 169 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. If Henderson is unable to play on Sunday, the team would likely turn to recent acquisition Sony Michel. The team is also rostering the likes of Jake Funk, Buddy Howell, and Javian Hawkins.
  • Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb aggravated an ankle injury on Sunday, but the team isn’t considering placing him on short-term IR (via Troy Renck of Denver7 on Twitter). The team is remaining flexible as they work through “some roster wrinkles.” Chubb’s ankle injury knocked him out of Denver’s Week 1 win, and the 2020 Pro Bowler collected one tackle on only 19 sacks on Sunday.
  • The 49ers‘ running back depth chart is already depleted, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has an update on one of the latest injured players (Twitter link). JaMycal Hasty suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday, and the 25-year-old is considered week-to-week. However, don’t expect to see Hasty on the field this weekend, as coach Kyle Shanahan said the running back is “for sure” out next Sunday night against the Packers (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). Through two games this season, Hasty collected 77 yards and one touchdown on 11 touches.
  • Texans wideout Nico Collins is out for the next three to four weeks, the team revealed today. The rookie wideout suffered a shoulder injury during yesterday’s loss to the Browns. The third-round rookie out of Michigan hauled in two catches for 39 yards through his first two games.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Sutton, Chubb

June 19th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Raiders selected Damon Arnette 19th overall last year, it marked the second straight year the Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock regime stunned draft viewers in Round 1. Despite multiple thumb issues and a placement on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list, Arnette started seven games as a rookie. Pro Football Focus graded Arnette as a bottom-10 cornerback, however, and the Raiders may not have the Ohio State product in their lineup plans this year. Arnette has nearly drifted off the Raiders’ radar, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes, adding that Casey Hayward is expected to line up as Las Vegas’ outside corner starter opposite Trayvon Mullen (subscription required). While a few lower-profile corners’ names surfaced during Raiders minicamp this week, Arnette’s was conspicuously absent, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal adds. Talk surfaced last month of Arnette moving into the slot, but Tafur adds that job looks like Nevin Lawson‘s to lose. Arnette did not practice in the slot during minicamp.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • Yannick Ngakoue is in search of a new agent. The recently signed Raiders defensive end left the Wasserman agency this week, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen (on Twitter). This is not a first for the former Jaguars, Vikings and Ravens pass rusher. He left his first NFL agent in May 2018 and made another change last August. Ngakoue’s next agent will be his fourth as a pro. Ngakoue signed a two-year, $26MM deal with the Raiders in March; that pact featured $21MM fully guaranteed.
  • Numerous key players missed extensive time for the Broncos last season, but the team received good news as it prepares for its next training camp. One of the biggest names to miss Denver’s 5-11 2020 slate, Courtland Sutton is not expected to start camp on the team’s active/PUP list, Vic Fangio said this week. The Pro Bowl wide receiver suffered an ACL tear in Week 2 of last season. Neither Sutton nor Bradley Chubb, who is rehabbing offseason ankle surgery, are likely to miss camp time, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Chubb needed bone spurs removed from his ankle.
  • Bashaud Breeland moved on from the Chiefs after two seasons, signing with the Vikings. But the veteran cornerback initially wanted to re-sign with the Chiefs.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Arnette, Sowers

May 26th, 2021 at 8:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

After missing all of the 2020 season due to a torn ankle tendon, Von Miller has been on the field for the Broncos‘ OTA sessions this week. New Broncos GM George Paton went down to the wire on picking up the All-Pro pass rusher’s 2021 option but ended up doing so. Miller is going into a contract year, having played five seasons on the then-defender-record six-year, $114.1MM deal he inked in 2016. Uncertainty about his future notwithstanding, the 32-year-old linebacker would like to stay in Denver on another contract.

“I always had an internal faith that I would be here. I said a long time ago that I want to be a Bronco for life. I always felt like that even though the business and all of this stuff,” Miller said, via DenverBroncos.com’s Aric DiLalla.

This will be a pivotal year for the Broncos’ all-time sack leader, considering a possible free agency bid looms in 2022. Miller has said he plans to play several more seasons. He and Bradley Chubb have not worked together for a lengthy stretch since 2018, but the duo will obviously be counted on to spearhead a talented defense. Here is more from Denver and the latest from the rest of the AFC West:

  • Chubb recently underwent an ankle procedure that is expected to sideline him until training camp. Vic Fangio said the team thought the injury, which shelved Chubb for last season’s final two games, would heal without surgery. The third-year Broncos HC also indicated bone spurs bothered Chubb, leading to the surgery, and that doctors believed Chubb would be sidelined until mid-August. Evidently, he is set to beat that timetable and return by the start of camp. The Broncos recently picked up the outside linebacker’s fifth-year option, locking him down through 2022.
  • Details on the Broncos’ Bobby Massie contract are in; the pact, per usual, is a bit team-friendlier than initially reported. The reported $4MM deal is actually a one-year, $2.5MM accord, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. The Broncos are guaranteeing the longtime Bears right tackle $1.58MM, Klis tweets, and the previously reported $4MM figure includes a $1.5MM incentive package. Massie and fellow May signing Cameron Fleming are set to compete for the right tackle job that became vacant after Ja’Wuan James‘ Achilles tear.
  • The Raiders might be considering shifting 2020 first-round pick Damon Arnette from the outside to the slot, Vic Tafur of The Athletic writes (subscription required). Gus Bradley‘s staff watched Ohio State film in order to best position Arnette, who could shift inside if recent addition Casey Hayward commandeers a starting job outside. Injuries and COVID-19 limited Arnette to nine games as a rookie. Pro Football Focus graded him 116th out of 121 qualified corners last season.
  • Katie Sowers made history by coaching in Super Bowl LIV. After her four-year 49ers tenure ended, Sowers will join the other team that participated in that game. The Chiefs are adding Sowers to their staff, via the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. Sowers confirmed the move (Instagram link). Sowers, 34, caught on with the 49ers via this program. Sowers went to college near Kansas City, receiving a master’s degree from Central Missouri.

Extra Points: Lance, 49ers, Chubb, Broncos, Patriots

May 23rd, 2021 at 9:32pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 49ers just drafted Trey Lance third overall, officially starting the countdown clock for how long Jimmy Garoppolo will remain the team’s starter. Lance was considered a somewhat raw prospect due to his limited amount of college experience at North Dakota State, which is why most expect Garoppolo to open the season as the starter. While Garoppolo is the favorite to be under center come Week 1, that doesn’t mean we won’t get to see Lance on the field right away.

The 49ers will try to “sprinkle in Lance the way the Saints have used Taysom Hill in recent seasons,” Matt Barrows of The Athletic believes. Barrows highlights recent comments Kyle Shanahan made on KNBR, when he raved about how Lance’s athleticism could open up the offense.

“It really makes the defense — if you’re in certain formations — honor 11-on-11 football. Because he is that type of threat, not just with his feet but also the way he runs the ball. He’s very natural at it. He can protect himself. He’s got the size to handle a couple of things. He’s always going to be a threat at any time,” the 49ers head coach said. Even if he’s not throwing the bulk of the passes, it’ll be fun to see what kind of packages Shanahan can come up with for Lance off the bench.

Here’s more from around the league on a quiet Sunday offseason night:

  • We heard over the weekend that Bradley Chubb underwent an ankle procedure, which understandably caused some concern. Broncos fans were surely having flashbacks to when the young stud pass-rusher missed most of the 2019 season with a torn ACL. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be anything serious. The surgery was a scope to remove a bone spur, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets, noting that it’s “very common.” Rapsheet adds he’ll be in a “boot for a couple weeks and will be fully ready for camp.” The fifth overall pick of the 2018 draft is coming off a Pro Bowl season where he had 7.5 sacks in 14 games.
  • The Patriots have a 17-year streak going of at least one undrafted rookie making their opening day roster. That streak looks like it may be coming to an end, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Reiss points out the team has only signed one UDFA so far, kicker Quinn Nordin from Michigan. The Pats have three kickers on the roster and Nordin will need to beat out both Nick Folk and Roberto Aguayo if New England is going to make it 18 years in a row.
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