Bradley Chubb Has No Problem "Sacking" Russell Wilson and Wrecking Practice

For the last decade, and perhaps all-time, no player has disrupted Broncos football practice more than Von Miller. The future Hall-of-Fame linebacker is now in Buffalo, after a stopover in L.A. for a couple of months en route to a Super Bowl. But, the Super Bowl 50 MVP appears to have rubbed off on his most prized pupil, Broncos outside linebacker Bradley Chubb. The 2019 Pro Bowler, who's career has been hampered by injury setbacks, is rounding into that form he had three seasons ago, and showing the pedigree that made him the 5th overall selection in the 2018 draft.

Although he's starting to look like the Bradley Chubb of old, he did admit Monday that it took some time to get comfortable, after going through an injury free off-season, for the first time in recent memory. "The beginning of it was kind of challenging for me," he said, "the first couple of weeks, I was trying to figure out 'what makes me, me?' What stuff I can I do to make me feel good, and to come into different workouts feeling my best. I kind of got that formula, and I've been sticking with it ever since, been feeling good. I finally feel like I got that, people say, 'being a pro, having a schedule, I feel like I finally got that down."

Monday we saw glimpses of the Chubb Broncos fans thought they would see when he came to Denver from N.C. State as the highest drafted pass rusher since Miller. And, he did get to quarterback Russell Wilson a few times(although they let the offense finish the play). So I asked him following the workout, if he has a problem, like his mentor, Miller, "wrecking practice," so-to-speak, for his offense? "That's the plan," Chubb said. "they always say, 'practice is like how we play in the games.' It's like in reality. My plan is to go out here every day and cause as much havoc as I can and let it carry over into Sundays."

And Chubb's return to form hasn't gone unnoticed by his new head coach, who certainly will have input if the team decides to extend him as he heads into the final year of his contract, or let him walk, because they have so much money invested in free agent signing Randy Gregory, top draft pick from this year's class, Nik Bonitto, and Baron Browning, who moves over from inside linebacker, at least for the time being. But, in true Nathaniel Hackett fashion, he certainly has no problem heaping praise on arguably, his most talented pass rusher. "He's done a really good job," Hackett said. "He's starting to feel it a little bit in both his pass rush, and his ability to stop the run. He's a force. When he knows what he's doing, he's definitely somebody that we would have to take account for."

One thing different for Chubb, and this Broncos defense, that hasn't been an issue in previous years, is practicing every day against, perhaps, the best quarterback in the league at evading pressure and extending plays. So, what was a sack against other Denver signal-callers isn't recent years, may not be so obvious now. "it's hard, because you think you've got an angle on him and he may spin out or step forward. He just has such great pocket awareness, being a guy that moves around a lot, and a lot of his 'money balls' come from when he's out of the pocket and throwing it deep. So, it's been challenging for not only me, but for those DBs, they having to play coverage twice on guys and actually having to stick with them and stay on 'em, and you never know what he's gonna do back there, so it's been a good challenge for us."

Watch Hackett, Chubb and Offensive Lineman Graham Glasgow's Press Conference Below: