There's no way to sugarcoat it: Bradley Chubb was a huge disappointment in 2021.
While a lot of Denver Broncos players put together a quality body of work despite a losing record, there were others who didn't quite live up to expectations.
Perhaps the most notable Rush linebacker is Bradley Chubb. Just a year after being named to his first Pro Bowl, he missed eight games from Weeks 3–11 due to foot surgery, never again producing at the level he had been at the year before.
Chub's struggles in 2021 cost him a questionable margin, with Football Outsiders naming him in their 2021 All-Keep Chopin' Wood squad, which recognizes players who were the worst at their positions, regardless of on-field performances. or off-field obstruction.
Football Outsiders writer Brian Knowles had this to say about Chub's 2021 season.
“We know Bradley Chubb missed about half a year on injured reserve, so we should expect his numbers to drop somewhat. But zero sacks and just one tackle for a loss is beyond the worst-case scenario Denver expects. Von Miller away at the halfway point of the year when they traded. Chubb himself admitted that it was his worst year as a pro; he was physically ill with COVID and finger, knee and ankle injuries It was done, and also from trying to mentally overcome all of the above problems. The Broncos have as much extra pressure coming from trying to move Rush, as it were."
Off-field conditions aside, Chubb's performance in 2021 is concerning. It's easy to say that Von Miller's absence affected him, but we must not forget that Chubb's Pro Bowl season came in 2020 when Miller missed an entire season due to injury.
Chub showed he could be effective in 2020 even without Miller in the lineup, as he recorded 7.5 sacks, 19 quarterback hits and nine tackles for damages. In his rookie season (2018) with Miller, Chub had 12 sacks, 21 QB hits and 14 tackles lost.
There's no way to sugarcoat it: Chew was a huge disappointment in 2021, especially when you look at the numbers he's produced in other seasons. He will have a lot to prove in 2022.
However, there is no question of Chub getting back on track. Eventually, his Pro Bowl season came to an end in 2019 after tearing his ACL. He has shown before coming back from injury and playing at a high level, so there is no reason to doubt he can do it again.
What should serve as inspiration is that Chubb is entering the final year of his rookie deal with the Broncos. The team exercised its option for the fifth year and would have to pay Chub $13.9 million. That's not a small amount, but it puts Chubb further down the list of lead-takers in terms of 2022 cash spend.
However, if Chubb wants to obtain a new contract, he will need to perform at a higher level, corresponding to the two years in which he played a full season. Here's hoping he does.
