Broncos OLB Bradley Chubb (ACL) will be sidelined during OTAs

Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (ACL) won’t be healthy in time for OTAs but he should return in time for training camp.

The Broncos expect to have right tackle Ja’Wuan James (knee) available for the start of organized team activities but outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (ACL) won’t be fully healthy in time for OTAs.

Speaking at the NFL combine last week, Denver coach Vic Fangio said that Chubb “won’t participate in any offseason football activities,” according to NFL Network’s James Palmer. Chubb will be sidelined from drills until training camp, which is expected to begin in mid- to late July.

Chubb (6-4, 275 pounds) was selected by the Broncos with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. After recording 12 sacks, he was named to the PFWA’s All-Rookie Team and earned Pro Bowl alternate honors in 2018.

Last season, Chubb totaled 21 tackles and one sack in four games before his season was cut short by a partially torn ACL. He is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2020 season.

Once healthy, Chubb will reclaim his starting job at outside linebacker.

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Broncos 2019 positional grades: Linebacker

Despite losing Bradley Chubb early in 2019, the Denver Broncos’ linebacker corps had a respectable 2019 season.

Denver Broncos fans saw the linebacker position as a highly intriguing part of the roster entering the 2019 NFL season for a couple of reasons. For one, it is an area the team has lacked in for several years and with Vic Fangio coming aboard as the team’s head coach, the hope was that would change.

Before becoming one of the league’s best defensive coordinators, Fangio made his name as the long time linebackers coach of the New Orleans Saints, where he helped create the “Dome Patrol.”

Let’s see how the Broncos’ linebackers each graded out in 2019.

Von Miller

Stats

Tackles: 46

Sacks: 8

Tackles for loss: 11

Miller played well in 2019, but we have come to expect big things out of the former Super Bowl MVP and we just didn’t get big things this past season.

He still led the team with eight sacks, but that was the lowest amount of sacks he put up in a season since he had just five in 2013, the year he tore his ACL.

Miller was adjusting to a new defensive scheme and depending on what side of the fence you’re on, you either believe that Miller isn’t a great fit for this defense or the coaching staff didn’t know how to use him.

While we can’t give him a bad grade for leading the team in sacks, he needs to be a much more disruptive force in 2020.

Grade: B-

Todd Davis

Stats

Tackles: 134

Tackles for loss: 6

Not only did Davis lead the Broncos in total tackles, but he was also tied for eighth in the entire league in that category.

Davis was strong in run support for the team and had what was statistically the best season of his career, despite playing in just 14 games.

Grade: B

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Broncos add new member to defensive coaching staff

John Pagano has been named the Broncos’ new outside linebackers coach.

The Broncos have hired John Pagano as their new outside linebackers coach, Denver head coach Vic Fangio announced Thursday. Pagano coached under Fangio for three seasons as a defensive assistant with the Colts from 1999-2001 (Fangio was the Colts’ defensive coordinator at the time).

John is the younger brother of Chuck Pagano, who interviewed for the Broncos’ head coach position last year. Chuck now serves as the Bears’ defensive coordinator. The brothers grew up in Boulder, Colorado.

Pagano has 25 years of coaching experience in the NFL, including two stints as a defensive coordinator (Raiders, 2017 and Chargers, 2012-2016). He most recently served as the Texans’ senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach from 2018-2019.

Pagano will be responsible for coaching up Broncos superstar outside linebackers Von Miller and Bradley Chubb. When they were both healthy and played in all 16 games in 2018, Miller and Chubb combined to record 26.5 sacks and forced six fumbles.

Pagano is replacing former Broncos OLBs coach Brandon Staley, who left the team to become the Rams’ defensive coordinator earlier this year.

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Von Miller ‘super excited’ about Bradley Chubb’s return

Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller is super excited about Bradley Chubb returning to the field in 2020.

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The Broncos’ official media team caught up with outside linebacker Von Miller at the Super Bowl media row this week to ask him about 2019 and the upcoming season.

“I was super encouraged,” Miller said of the Broncos’ 4-1 record to close out the 2019 season. “A lot of young guys got a lot of experience and that’s really the only thing you can take from last season. We’ll be ready to go and more experienced this coming season.”

Miller was also asked about teammate Bradley Chubb, who had his 2019 season cut short by an ACL injury. Chubb has been making great progress in his recovery and should be back in time for OTAs in the spring.

“I’m super excited, man,” Miller said of Chubb’s looming return. “It was an unfortunate injury but he’ll come back bigger and stronger and faster and I’m super excited to get Bradley back.”

When Miller and Chubb played in all 16 games in 2018, they combined to record 26.5 sacks and forced six fumbles. Expect similar totals in 2020.

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Bradley Chubb’s return will give Broncos’ defense a big boost

Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb is expected to be completely healthy well before the start of the 2020 NFL season.

The Denver Broncos have one of the premier edge rushers in the NFL in Von Miller. While Miller isn’t getting any younger, he still demands the attention of opposing offenses.

This offseason, the defense surrounding Miller could be in store for a major overhaul. Chris Harris Jr. is set to become a free agent. Derek Wolfe could be on his way out the door. Justin Simmons could demand a contract too rich for Denver’s pockets.

The question right now in regards to Denver’s defense is, what will Miller’s supporting cast look like?

There is a lot of question marks surrounding the Broncos defense heading into the offseason. One thing that we do know is that Bradley Chubb will be returning from an ACL injury. The former first-round pick is a candidate for a breakout season for the Broncos during the 2020 season.

Chubb’s return will give the Broncos’ defense a much-needed playmaker. This past season, the Broncos finished tied for 17th in sacks. During Chubb’s rookie season they finished eighth in the league in that department.

Chubb’s season-ending injury derailed what looked to be a strong second year in the league for the North Carolina State product. In four games, Chubb recorded 21 tackles, one sack, five tackles for losses and six quarterback hits.

In Chubb’s rookie season, the edge rusher recorded 12 sacks and had 21 quarterback hits, while being strong against the run. It was the type of production that the Broncos were hoping for when they selected him with the fifth overall pick.

A direct beneficiary of Chubb’s stellar rookie season was Miller. That season, Miller recorded 14.5 sacks, the most in season for the veteran edge rusher since 2014, when he recorded 14 sacks. With Chubb out of the lineup last year, Miller recorded just eight sacks, his lowest career output in a season in which he played in more than nine games.

With Chubb back on the field to start the 2020 season, the Broncos will have one of the best pass-rushing tandems in the NFL. If Chubb plays the full season, it’s a safe bet to pencil him in for eight or more sacks, while providing solid run defense on the edge.

Denver enters the offseason with a lot of question marks surrounding what the makeup of their defense will look like when Week 1 rolls around. With Chubb back on the field and teamed with Miller, the Broncos have a good starting point to build a foundation around.

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Broncos expect Bradley Chubb to be healthy for OTAs

Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb (ACL) is expected to be healthy in time for the start of OTAs.

There’s good news on the Broncos’ injury front.

Bradley Chubb, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury last September, has made “really good” progress in his recovery,” general manager John Elway told The Denver Post‘s Ryan O’Halloran at the Senior Bowl this week.

“He looks great,” Elway said. “I [jokingly] asked with about five weeks left in the season if he was ready to go. He should be ready to go for OTAs [in May] or even the offseason program [in April].”

That’s great news for Denver’s defense.

Chubb (6-4, 275 pounds) was selected by the Broncos with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft. After a standout career at N.C. State, Chubb transitioned well to Denver’s 3-4 defense, totaling 12 sacks as a rookie.

Chubb earned PWFA All-Rookie honors in 2018 and was named a Pro Bowl second alternate. Last year, his season was cut short just four games into the campaign. He will provide a big boost to the defense in 2020.

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5 Broncos who need to have bounce-back seasons in 2020

The Denver Broncos will be looking to end their playoff drought in 2020. These five players can help.

The Denver Broncos fell short of a playoff berth with a third consecutive losing season in 2019.

The team hopes to be better in 2020 with head coach Vic Fangio having a full season under his belt, pushing forward with the promising Drew Lock at quarterback and a brand new offensive coordinator in Pat Shurmur.

But to realize improvement — much less get to the playoffs and win some games once there — it takes a collective effort. For the Broncos to reach their full potential next season, these five players need to bounce back.

Note: This list will not contain any free agents. So the likes of Chris Harris and Connor McGovern will be absent as their futures remain uncertain.

1. Ja’Wuan James

If the Broncos don’t want to pay James for absolutely nothing again, the right tackle needs to bounce back in a big way. That starts with being on the field.

James was one of the worst free agent signings any team in the league made this offseason, but a bounce-back year could help atone for that. Should he have another year in which he almost doesn’t play at all, the Broncos would likely be forced to move on.

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2 Broncos named to PFWA’s All-Rookie Team

Broncos guard Dalton Risner and tight end Noah Fant made PFWA’s 2019 All-Rookie Team.

Denver Broncos offensive lineman Dalton Risner and tight end Noah Fant both made the Pro Football Writers of America’s 2019 All-Rookie Team, it was announced Tuesday. Risner allowed 2.5 sacks in 16 starts this season. Risner was also named to Pro Football Focus’ All-Rookie Team.

Fant led all rookie tight ends in receptions (40), yards (562) and yards per catch (14) this season. Fant was selected by the Broncos in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Risner was selected by Denver in the second round.

No team in the league has more PFWA All-Rookie selections over the last two years than Denver (four). Last season, running back Phillip Lindsay and outside linebacker Bradley Chubb made PFWA’s All-Rookie Team. Lindsay was voted to the Pro Bowl and Chubb was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2018.

Broncos safety Justin Simmons did not make the PFWA’s All-NFL Team or All-AFC Team but he did take home second-team All-Pro honors from the Associated Press. Simmons is set to become a free agent in March and Denver is expected to make him a high priority this offseason.

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Bradley Chubb thinks Broncos could have one of NFL’s best LB corps in 2020

Broncos edge defender Bradley Chubb believes the team’s linebacker corps could rank among the NFL’s best in 2020.

Denver Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb had a brilliant season in 2018, earning Pro Bowl alternate honors after totaling 12 sacks as a rookie. His 2019 season was cut short by a torn ACL. The 23-year-old edge defender plans to stay in Denver this offseason while he recovers.

“I’ve already started my rehab here, so I’m going to go ahead and stay here and continue to do it here with the altitude and all that too,” Chubb said on Dec. 30.

After Chubb fully recovers from the injury, he will return in 2020 to join a linebacker corps that has the potential to rank among the league’s best. The Broncos have a Super Bowl MVP in Von Miller, a rising talent in Alexander Johnson, sleepers in Justin Hollins and Malik Reed and — if re-signed — a potential gem in Jeremiah Attaochu.

“It could be for sure one of the best in the league,” Chubb said of the team’s group of linebackers. “You just look at the guys and look at the talent we have and see all those guys put in the work. Knowing what they did to get in this position, it’s cool to see. If we’re all able to stick together and do something big, I feel like it’s going to be special.”

Chubb totaled 21 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in four games last year before suffering his season-ending injury. Playing in Vic Fangio’s 3-4 defense, Chubb will look to help Denver’s linebackers live up to their high expectations in 2020.

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Broncos should re-sign pass rusher Jeremiah Attaochu this offseason

The Denver Broncos need to find a way to re-sign pass rusher Jeremiah Attaochu after he stepped up during the 2019 season.

The Denver Broncos had a disappointing season — at least for those who may have thought the team was going to the playoffs and had a chance to win the Super Bowl — but there were still many small victories this season.

One of those was the signing of Jeremiah Attaochu.

Even the Broncos had to be surprised in what they found in Attaochu, who was only brought in after a season-ending injury to Bradley Chubb. With the season already in great peril at that time, the Broncos had to hit the free agent market and find some sort of pass rusher.

Attaochu, a former second-round pick of the Los Angeles Chargers, was sitting there and likely would have sat out the entire season and maybe sat out for good had Denver not signed him.

Attaochu was with the Kansas City Chiefs in the preseason but did not make the team’s final 53-man roster. There is a good chance that could have been the end of the road in his NFL career, but the Broncos came calling.

In 12 games with the team, he registered 3.5 sacks, five hits on the quarterback and a fumble recovery. He frequently got pressure and pushed the quarterback outside the pocket on his defensive snaps.

Attaochu did everything the Broncos could have asked for and hoped of him, but he is now set to be an unrestricted free agent after just signing on with the Broncos for this season.

Attaochu, who will turn 27 years old this month, could still have plenty of football left in him and with his play this season, it’s possible he caught the eye of other teams around the league.

It’s said that a team can’t have enough pass rushers and a good situational pass rusher can be a defensive coordinator’s best chess piece. Attaochu can be that.

When the Broncos lost Chubb, fans immediately lamented the fact that Shaquil Barrett was no longer with the team. Barrett was busy leading the entire NFL with 19.5 sacks for his new team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Hindsight is always 20/20 and there is no doubt the Broncos would have liked to have found a way to keep Barrett. However, the move to bring in Attaochu following the injury to Chubb was not only a big surprise, but it could also pay off in years to come.

Teammates have taken note of Attaochu’s talent and would undoubtedly like to see him back for the 2020 season.

“Jerry’s a beast,” defensive lineman Dre’Mont Jones said on Dec. 22. “I knew it from Day 1. I’ve always heard about his story — being at the Chargers and then injuries occurred. I’ve always known how talented Jerry was. To see him go out there and play and improve himself each week against every team is a credit to him and his work ethic.”

The Broncos have something in Attaochu as he could easily slide into the role that Barrett use to be in for the foreseeable future. The team needs to find a way to re-sign him this offseason.

Don’t sleep on this guy.

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