Broncos GM George Paton hopes Bradley Chubb remains with the team 'for a long time'
Paton left the door open to adding an edge rusher in the draft
By
Jared Dubin
•
1 min read
Four years ago, the Denver Broncos made North Carolina State edge rusher Bradley Chubb the No. 5 overall pick in the NFL Draft, hoping to pair him with incumbent star Von Miller to give themselves one of the best pass-rushing duos in the NFL. Chubb and Miller did just that in Chubb's first NFL season, combining for 26.5 sacks as they each played 16 games.
After that, though, the duo barely shared the field anymore. Chubb was limited by injury to only four games in 2019. Miller missed the entire 2020 season with an injury of his own. And Chubb played in only one of nine Broncos games before Miller was traded to the Rams in 2021.
Miller is in Buffalo now, and Chubb is headed into the fifth-year option year on his rookie-scale contract. The Broncos have signed Randy Gregory to rush the passer opposite Chubb, and according to general manager George Paton, they want to keep Chubb opposite Gregory over the long term.
Paton hopes Chubb is a Bronco "for a long time" according to DNVR Sports, which added that Paton is "really high on [Chubb]." However, Paton did leave the door open to the Broncos adding a pass rusher in the draft. He did say, though, that, "If we take a pass rusher, it has nothing to do with Bradley [Chubb]."
Paton might say that, but if Denver uses one of its early picks on an edge, it would be a clear signal that Chubb may not be long for Denver. Teams obviously need multiple rushmen, but paying one big money and free agency and spending big draft capital on another would certainly send a message about the team's long-term faith in Chubb. If the Broncos wait until Day 3 to draft an edge, then that would perhaps be a sign that they're looking for supplemental help behind Chubb and Gregory, and serious about keeping the former on a new deal.
