Broncos Update Bradley Chubb's Ankle Injury; Surgery Imminent

Chubb aggravated the injury in Sunday's win at Jacksonville.

The news on Bradley Chubb is that there is no news. "Yet."

The Denver Broncos outside linebacker suffered an aggravation of his pre-existing ankle injury in Sunday's win over the Jaguars, and head coach Vic Fangio is not sure whether Chubb will miss any time because of it.

“I don’t know yet," Fangio told reporters Monday.

What happens next for the Broncos? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second and sign up for our FREE newsletter and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

Chubb, who was making his 2021 season debut after sitting Week 1, exited in the first half against Jacksonville. The Pro Bowl defender appear to know what happened as he went down, pounding his fist on the ground and throwing his helmet on the sideline in frustration. Ominously, the Broncos declared Chubb questionable to return before ruling him out.

Chubb entered Week 2 with a questionable tag and put his ankle through pregame warmups, green-lit to play. He posted one solo tackle prior to his injury, bookending Von Miller for the first time since 2019.

“His ankle acted up again. He tried to go with it," Fangio explained. "He had medical clearance and he wanted to do it, and it acted up again.”

Despite the quality of opponent and soggy field conditions, the Broncos gave no consideration to resting Chubb for an extra week out of an abundance of caution, Fangio revealed.

“Not really because the medical people thought it was basically going to be the same yesterday as it would be next Sunday," he said. "They felt good about letting him play and he felt good about playing, so he played.”

The decision came back to bite both parties, jeoparding Chubb's status ahead of Denver's home opener against the New York Jets.

Beat writer Troy Renck reported Monday the team will not place Chubb on short-term injured reserve — forcing him to sit at least three games — "at this time."

"Fluid situation as they weigh some roster wrinkles," Renck tweeted.

With Chubb sidelined, Malik Reed will hold the fort opposite Miller for the beat-up Broncos, who also lost starting inside linebacker Josey Jewell to a season-ending pectoral injury amid Sunday's victory.

Update: The Broncos announced on Tuesday that Chubb will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his ankle on Wednesday to remove a bone spur. Short-term IR indeed. 

---

Follow Zack on Twitter @KelbermanNFL

Follow Mile High Huddle on Twitter and Facebook.

Subscribe to Mile High Huddle on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!