Broncos trade Bradley Chubb to Dolphins, per sources: Denver recalibrates, while Miami doubles down

By Jeff Howe, Kalyn Kahler, Nick Kosmider and Zack Rosenblatt

The Denver Broncos are trading star pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Miami Dolphins for a package that includes a 2023 first-round pick, a league official with knowledge of the deal confirmed to The Athletic. Here’s what you need to know:

The Broncos will receive a 2023 first-round pick, a 2024 fourth-round pick and running back Chase Edmonds. Miami will get a 2025 fifth-rounder in addition to Chubb.
The first-rounder going to Denver is the 49ers’ pick, which went to Miami in a 2021 when San Francisco traded up to draft Trey Lance.
By trading Chubb, who will be a free agent this offseason, the Broncos show they’re recalibrating after a 3-5 start to the season.
Denver also traded a 2024 fourth-rounder for Jets pass-rusher Jacob Martin and a 2024 fifth, a team source not authorized to speak about the trade publicly said.

Backstory

Chubb, 26, was tied for the team lead in Denver with 5 1/2 sacks through eight games.

After a rookie season in which he posted 12 1/2 sacks and made the Pro Bowl, Chubb was slowed by injuries from 2019 to 2021, playing in 25 of a possible 49 regular-season games. But he has been a game-changer in 2022.

Among 49 players with at least 200 pass rushing snaps, Chubb ranks 14th in pressure rate (12.7 percent). He is tied for ninth in sacks. With the trade, the Broncos lose the best pass rusher on a team that currently ranks first in pass defense DVOA. Denver’s defense has allowed the fewest points per drive in the NFL (1.35) and propped up the team amid Russell Wilson’s continued struggles. That now becomes much harder.

Edmonds, 26, signed a two-year, $12.1 million deal with Miami this offseason but his playing time has decreased over the first eight weeks of the season. Edmonds has just 42 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns this season along with 10 receptions for 96 yards. His 2.9 yards per carry is a steep drop from the 4.7 per rush he averaged in four seasons with the Cardinals.

How Chubb fits into the Dolphins defense

Chubb arrives in Miami just in time to get acclimated before a tough three-game road stretch that begins on Dec. 4 with trips to visit the 49ers, Chargers and Bills. The defense needs Chubb’s help. The unit allowed 27 points to the Lions on Sunday and 40 points to the Jets. They’re averaging just 1.9 sacks per game, and Chubb should boost this unimpressive pass rush.

This trade, giving up their 2023 first-rounder, also indicates that this team is committing to Tua Tagovailoa as its quarterback and isn’t going to chase another one in the draft next year. The team is 5-0 with Tagovailoa playing at least three quarters of football this season, and he had his best game Sunday. It’s refreshing to see the organization double down on him even after the concussion saga that would have given it every chance to think twice. – Kahler

How this impacts Denver’s defense

One reason the Broncos felt comfortable making this trade is the depth they cultivated at pass-rushing positions. Randy Gregory, currently sidelined with a knee injury, signed a five-year, $70 million with the Broncos in March and was playing well before his Week 4 setback. Baron Browning, a 2021 third-round pick, has been a revelation since moving from inside linebacker, where he played as a rookie, to the outside.

The Broncos also used their second-round pick in 2022 on Nik Bonitto, who had a sack of Trevor Lawrence in Sunday’s win over the Jaguars in London. But make no mistake: This trade hampers the Broncos defensively this season as they try to scratch and claw their way back into playoff positioning. Chubb’s consistent pressure is part of the reason the Broncos have the league’s best pass defense, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA. His absence will be felt significantly during the second half of the season. – Kosmider

What the trade says about the Broncos

While there were long-term considerations here for the Broncos — such as deciding whether to hand a long-term deal to a player who missed 24 games from 2019 to 2021 due to injury — do they make this deal if they are 5-3 instead of 3-5? Probably not.

A four-game losing streak in the first half of the season meant the Broncos simply weren’t where they thought they’d be by this time in the season, and the trade of Chubb shows they are recalibrating and deciding how to best move forward in the Russell Wilson era. The team signed the veteran quarterback to a five-year, $245 million in extension, but he has not been able to solve the team’s long-standing issues alone. Clearly, the Broncos know they need more help on that side of the ball before they can truly compete in the AFC West. And the trade of Chubb may be one way to find it. – Kosmider

Required reading

(Photo: Justin Edmonds / USA Today)