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With benefit of healthy offseason, OLB Bradley Chubb seems poised to return to elite play

With benefit of healthy offseason, OLB Bradley Chubb seems poised to return to elite play


ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — In the third quarter of the Broncos’ Week 14 game, the Broncos’ edge rusher started over the left tackle’s outside shoulder before he looped inside.

A clear lane ahead of him, Bradley Chubb grabbed Nick Mullens’ scarlet jersey and tore him to the ground.

At that moment, Chubb’s future seemed nothing but bright. That sack in 2018 was Chubb’s 12th of his rookie season, which gave him the Broncos’ new rookie franchise sack record.

The ensuing years have been tougher, as Chubb has battled ACL and ankle injuries and missed 26 games over the past three seasons. The former fifth-overall pick earned a Pro Bowl berth in 2020 with 7.5 sacks and 19 quarterback hits, but he’s otherwise yet to enjoy the type of sustained health — both in the offseason and regular season — that would allow him to return to the heights of his rookie season.

That time, though, may have arrived.

For the first time since the end of his rookie season, Chubb entered the offseason without any lingering ailments. He didn’t have to rehab from an ACL tear or undergo a pair of ankle surgeries. He’s simply been able to focus on his craft — and on providing the consistent pressure of which he and the Broncos know he’s capable.

“100 percent,” Chubb said Monday when asked if he feels like he’s returning to his old heights. “The beginning of [the offseason] was challenging for me. It was my first time in this position where I wasn’t worried about recovering from an injury or worried about this or that. For the first couple weeks, I was trying to figure out what makes me, me. What things can I do to make me feel good [that will help me] come into different workouts feeling my best? I got that formula, and I’ve been sticking with it ever since. I’ve been feeling good coming out here to practice with these guys, and it’s been fun. People say, ‘be a pro’ and ‘have that schedule.’ I feel like I finally have that down.”

On the field, the creation of — and ability to maintain — a routine has…

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