The Broncos gave up on Bradley Chubb and the season at the NFL Trade Deadline.
Their 2018 choice of Bradley over Josh and Quenton turned out badly as Chubb became a flub.
In the draft the Broncos, at No. 5 overall, could have selected Bradley Chubb, Josh Allen, Quenton Nelson or Josh Rosen. Rosen wasn’t worth a bag of rosin; Nelson has been a Pro Bowl offensive guard all four seasons; Chubb has played in only 49 of 73 games (because of injury), recorded 25 sacks (12 in his rookie season, zero last year and 5.5 in eight games this season) and was a Pro Bowler in 2020.
Allen is the NFL MVP favorite this season.
Chubb was traded on deadline day to the Dolphins, one of nine AFC teams the Broncos are chasing for a playoff spot. It was a beneficial deal for the Broncos, who are trying to get whole again in the 2023 draft after losing their first- and second-round picks in the Russell Wilson trade. The Broncos now have a first-, two thirds, a fourth-, a fifth- and a seventh-round pick.
If the Broncos hadn’t dealt the edge rusher (as they did Von Miller last season on Nov. 1, too, for a second and a third in the past draft), he likely would have departed as a free agent in 2023 for a five-year, $100 million contract.
George Paton, who justified the trade by asserting the Broncos are building a championship team, and Nathaniel Hackett and Wilson must accept the responsibility because the team is 3-5. The Broncos’ outside linebackers will be Randy Gregory — who can return from injured reserve for the Raiders game Nov. 20 — and Baron Browning, who should be back after the bye, and rookie Nik Bonitto, Jonathan Cooper and Jacob Martin, acquired from the Jets Tuesday afternoon.
Hackett told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated this week that the Broncos have experienced “more adversity’’ than any other team. They have lost 20 starters and backup contributors from some or all games this season, but four of the teams the Broncos will be playing — the Titans, the Ravens, the Cardinals and the Rams — have been in similar IR situations. The Broncos’ other main adversities are self-inflicted penalties (70, which is 10 more than the Seahawks), touchdown failures in the red zone (35%, last behind the Seahawks) and human game-management mistakes.
Seven Broncos games have been decided by 7 points or fewer, and the eighth, a 9-point defeat to the Raiders, wasn’t settled until late. So, the Broncos could have anywhere been 7-1 and 1-7.
The eight teams left on the Broncos’ schedule — with the Chiefs twice — have an overall record of 34-32. The Raiders, the Panthers, the Cardinals and the Rams are under .500. The Titans, the Ravens, the Chargers and the Chiefs have winning records.
But they won’t have to play the Bills and Allen.
Why did the Broncos choose Chubb over Allen?
After the pick John Elway said Chubb “was the best defensive player’’ and “we were fortunate to get him.” But Chubb didn’t play in the Senior Bowl — coached by the Broncos staff — and he wasn’t invited to the Broncos’ headquarters before the draft.
Elway did not ever discuss publicly why the Broncos passed on Allen, but they had signed Case Keenum as a free agent and still had 2016 No. 1 pick Paxton Lynch on the roster. They did have five interactions with Allen — at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, during Senior Bowl week, in an interview at the NFL Combine, at Allen’s Pro Day at Wyoming and in a visit to Broncos HQ.
The Broncos weren’t suspicious of Allen’s passing percentage with the Cowboys in two seasons (56.2%), but Elway’s percentage nearly was the same (56.9%) at Stanford. Elway was 6-foot-3, 215 pounds, Allen 6-5, 232. Coach Vance Joseph wasn’t an Allen advocate (preferring Chad Kelly, who was drafted last), and Allen didn’t overwhelm Elway. Gary Kubiak, who had rejoined the Broncos as a super scout, attended Allen’s Pro Day and wasn’t sold, despite Allen flinging his final throw 80 yards.
Allen was chosen seventh by the Bills.
The Broncos drafted Chubb two picks earlier.
The franchise has employed 10 exceptional linebackers. Bradley Chubb did not become one of them.
He’s gone.
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