Bradley Chubb has high expectations for the Denver Broncos defense in 2020.
The Denver Broncos defense allowed 223 points in 2019. That is 13.9 points per game allowed. That ranked 10th in the league last year.
The Broncos are getting two key additions back in outside linebacker Bradley Chubb and cornerback Bryce Callahan. Chubb said on Thursday that he feels confident that the Broncos can finish the 2020 season with a top 5-10 defense.
Bradley Chubb on expectations for the defense: “I feel like we can be top 5, top 10 for sure!” # BroncosCountry @KOAColorado
— Brandon Krisztal (@BKDenverSports) July 31, 2020
Chubb also said that he feels that the defense is going to be chaos for opposing offenses.
https://twitter.com/broncos/status/1289352423740342272?s=21
The Broncos finished 18th in the league in sacks during the 2019 season with 40. Von Miller led the way with eight of those sacks, which is far below his typical 16-game season.
Defensive end Derek Wolfe finished second on the team with seven sacks. Wolfe signed with the Baltimore Ravens during the 2020 offseason and was replaced by Jurrell Casey, who was acquired in a trade with the Tennessee Titans.
Casey had five sacks last season and has a career total of 51.0.
The team not only will get Chubb back, but they will also get to see cornerback Bryce Callahan in regular-season action for the first time. Callahan was a big addition by the Broncos in 2019 from the Bears, where he thrived under then-Bears defensive coordinator and now-Broncos head coach Vic Fangio.
Cornerback Chris Harris Jr. left in free agency to sign with the division-rival Los Angeles Chargers but the team did bring in A.J. Bouye to fill that role as the top guy at the position. It will be important for Bouye to step up and be that guy to lead the cornerback group to be the best it can be.
At the safety position, the Broncos have one of, if not the strongest units in the entire league with Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. The two combined for six interceptions, 25 passes defended, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 164 tackles.
Predominantly Orange writer Nicholas Manning walked us through different ways the Broncos can defeat each of the other AFC West opponents’ offenses. You can check it out here.
Chubb’s comeback may be the most important factor
We saw a decline in sacks by Von Miller in 2019 and I strongly believe that the absence of Chubb was a big part of it.
With Chubb returning, offensive lines are going to have to focus on both players, and potentially double-team one of the two (that’s essentially what happened to Miller when Chubb tore his ACL).
The success of the pass rush is going to influence the other parts of the defense. It may cause teams to change to shorter, quicker throws and that could be a key to the Broncos getting more interceptions in 2020.
So, basically, the return of Bradley Chubb is going to be such a big factor for the Denver Broncos in the upcoming season.