Denver Broncos depth chart: Bradley Chubb a starter

The Denver Broncos are set to release their first depth chart of the new season Tuesday, and Bradley Chubb is reportedly a starter on it…

The Denver Broncos have not yet officially released their depth chart, but some of the surprises have started to leak and Mike Klis of 9News has a big piece of news on rookie first-round pick Bradley Chubb.

According to Klis, Chubb — who has been working almost entirely with the second-team defense in training camp — will be ahead of Shane Ray (who has been working with the first-team defense almost all camp) on the depth chart.

This makes a lot of sense, despite the fact that the Broncos very clearly remain high on Shane Ray.

Why?

Ray is still not 100 percent in terms of his health. He’s also not the team’s best base defender as an edge player against the run, specifically.

This is a strategic move by the Broncos to get their 11 best overall players out on the field to start off a game.

Chubb, as Vance Joseph stated earlier in the offseason, will start as an outside linebacker in the base defense and move to defensive end in their sub packages.

That’s where Ray and Shaquil Barrett will enter the picture.

This is a very positive development for Chubb, who is slated to make a major impact in his rookie season.

Not to set the bar too high, but in a defense as talented as Denver’s, he might get the favorable matchups frequently enough to potentially challenge Jevon Kearse’s 20-year old record of 14.5 sacks by a rookie.

The Broncos’ sack numbers have dipped significantly since their Super Bowl season in 2015, when they notched 52 as a team. They also had 52 in 2012, when they were shockingly eliminated from the playoffs by the Baltimore Ravens.

If the Broncos can reach the coveted 50-sack plateau as a team this season, there’s a good chance this team is going to make a deep run in the playoffs.