Now, one of those melancholy NFL season-ending injury posts. Furthermore, the Denver Bronco’s young defensive end Bradley Chubb is done for the season as of Monday. Chubb – a former 2018 first-round pick – has a partially torn ACL in his left knee.
Without question, the winless Broncos didn’t need this. Coincidentally the injury took place in a 26-24 home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
Broncos LB Bradley Chubb (Torn ACL) is out for the season. (via @JamesPalmerTV) pic.twitter.com/VuzloqeLTA
— NFL (@NFL) September 30, 2019
Per Jeff Legwold who covers the Broncos for ESPN is a quote from Broncos’ head coach Vic Fangio.
“It’s a huge loss,” Fangio said Monday. “He’s one of our better players, obviously. He’s a tempo-setter, a great person, a great leader.”
Ironically, an example of Chubb’s leadership may have been what actually ended his season. For instance, the second-year pro felt discomfort in his knee during the game. Then, he decided to do what a lot of athletes in 2019 would not: finish the game hurt without regard for his own well-being.
“He felt good enough to come back in, and actually he played that last series pretty damn well,” Fangio said. “[He] had some really good pass rushes, caused that fumble that [we] weren’t able to get. So he was as surprised, I think, as anybody this morning when he woke up feeling the way he did.”
To continue on an earlier point, the Broncos appear to have all the fixings of what it takes to land a number-one overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Of course, this wouldn’t be a bad thing; seeing as how they run Joe Flacco out at quarterback every week.
However, I am simply here to report the news. And that news is sad for anyone who enjoys football because Chubb recorded 12 sacks as a rookie in 2018 and one this season prior to injury. Still, he’s just 23 years of age and presumably has a lot of good football left ahead of him.
Finally, injuries are a tough part of the sport. Week after week, we see star players make their exit; and the league has little answer for this problem. While player safety has been placed at the forefront of the league, there is nothing that can be done to prevent injuries like the one that will sideline Chubb for the foreseeable future.