Broncos' Pro Bowl pass rusher Bradley Chubb needs ankle surgery
The Denver Broncos have ridden a soft schedule and a stingy defense to a 2-0 record.
But their good start got some bad news on Tuesday when Bradley Chubb revealed that he needs surgery. The fourth-year linebacker who bookends the Broncos pass rush opposite Von Miller is scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to remove a bone spur from his ailing left ankle.
His recovery timetable is unclear. According to the Broncos, he hopes to be able to return this season.
Chubb tried to play through injury
Chubb injured his ankle during the preseason. He missed the team's season-opening win over the New York Giants before making a brief appearance in Sunday's win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He left the game in the second quarter and didn't return.
"He tried to go with it," Broncos head coach Vic Fangio said Monday. "He had medical clearance. He wanted to do it. It acted up again."
Chub told the Broncos website on Tuesday that he experienced a "stab-type pain" while rushing Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
"I did everything I could to manage it and to try to come back and play," Chubb said, per the Broncos. "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."
More missed time for Chubb
This is not the first time Chubb will experience an extended absence during his Broncos career. The 2018 first-round picked missed 12 games in 2019 with a torn ACL. He returned last season to make his first Pro Bowl after recording 7.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits in 14 games. He recorded 12 sacks during his rookie season, the only time he's played a full 16-game schedule.
Anchored by one of the league's best secondaries, the Broncos have the NFL's third-ranked defense allowing 251.5 yards per game. Denver's 13 points allowed per game ranks fifth in the league. But pass rush hasn't been the team's strength. Miller has all of the Broncos' three sacks through two games.
Denver's schedule will get considerably tougher after it faces the New York Jets on Sunday with upcoming games against the Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns.
