Broncos training camp, Day 5: Bradley Chubb returns to practice, Teddy Bridgewater rebounds

Bradley Chubb spent the first four days of training camp tackling the unenviable task of running lonely sprints through Denver’s thin air as field-level temperatures hovered near 100 degrees.

So it felt something almost like a reward when Chubb was able to crouch into a pass-rushing stance and join the Broncos’ top-unit defense for their first 11-on-11 series during Monday’s training camp practice.

“I felt like I was a brand new person out there,” said Chubb, who had surgery in May to remove bone spurs in his ankle, forcing him to miss all of the team’s offseason program. “You have those days where you say, ‘OK, I don’t want to step wrong’ and stuff like that — and last week it felt like I was having some of those thoughts — but when I get around those guys, get the energy they bring, it makes me so ecstatic I don’t even think about what’s going on with me.”

In his first meeting with the media since having the surgery — it was delayed until the late spring because team trainers initially believed the injury could heal on its own — Chubb assured he will “100 percent, for sure” be ready to play in the Broncos’ Week 1 opener at the New York Giants. This is the second consecutive training camp Chubb has been limited. He was in the late stages of his rehab from ACL last August, and he missed about a week of camp late that month after experiencing some soreness in the knee. Chubb was ultimately on the field when the Broncos hosted the Titans to start the season, but he got off to a slow start as he struggled to fully trust his knee. He went without a sack in Denver’s first three games, but he had 2 1/2 takedowns in a Week 4 win over the Jets and ultimately made his first Pro Bowl.

But Chubb missed the final two games of the 2020 season because of the ankle injury, and as he started to work his way back into shape early in the offseason, discomfort kept nagging at him.

“It was one of those things where I couldn’t do my job as well as I wanted to do it,” Chubb said. “We made the decision to just go in there and clean it out. It was supposed to be a longer recovery, but luckily they got a chance to go in there and clean it out and it’s all structurally good.”

There wasn’t much to glean from Chubb’s snaps during Monday’s practice, which could be counted on one hand. But it was a positive first step toward pairing Chubb with veteran Von Miller, a duo that has played only four games together since combining for 26 1/2 sacks in 2018.

“That was good to see,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said. “He got some plays, not a ton. We need to progress him, so it was good to have him out there.”

Bridgewater responds

Teddy Bridgewater had his worst day of training camp Saturday when he threw three interceptions — two were tipped passes, the other was a poor read of safety Kareem Jackson — and never found a rhythm while completing just 10-of-22 passes.

When he spoke during the offseason, shortly after arriving in a trade from Carolina, Bridgewater said he has been through too much in the NFL to be fazed by one bad day in the upcoming quarterback competition. That was certainly the case Monday when Bridgewater turned in arguably his best performance through five practices.

It began with his very first snap in team drills. Bridgewater, who spent most of the day with the second-team offense, settled in the pocket and waited for wide receiver Diontae Spencer to run even with retreating cornerback Parnell Motley. The perfectly lofted ball down the left sideline hit Spencer in stride as he gained a step on Motley, and he hauled in it for a 50-yard touchdown. Bridgewater did throw one interception — undrafted linebacker Curtis Robinson made an impressive leaping grab during a seven-on-seven drill to snag a short pass in the middle of the field — but his day was almost spotless outside of that misfire. He completed 14-of-16 passes during 11-on-11 work as the offense moved through a mix of red-zone, back-to-their-own-end-zone and end-of-clock periods.

Bridgewater was especially impressive using the sidelines, including a play where he rolled to his left after a play-action fake and buried a ball into Kendall Hinton against tight coverage. He ended practice by nailing Jerry Jeudy in another tight window 20 yards down the field, sailing the ball just over the outstretched hand of rookie first-rounder Patrick Surtain II.

Drew Lock was solid if unspectacular while operating the first-team offense. He was picked off by Surtain during the day’s lone seven-on-seven period — the first interception for Lock in any setting so far in camp — and was 7-of-13 passing. That line included a throwaway during an end-of-the-clock period as the Broncos aimed to set up a field goal and a drop along the sideline by tight end Noah Fant, but it did not include any deep strikes as Lock mostly worked the short and intermediate parts of the field.

Lock also ended the day on a sour note when he had a pass near the line of scrimmage during the final team period intercepted by cornerback Rojesterman Farris, who was participating in his first practice with the Broncos after signing with the team Sunday.

Bridgewater won the day Monday, one practice after he was an obvious second. That has largely been how things have gone in this camp. By my count, Bridgewater has been the clear winner in two practices and Lock has had that distinction once. The other two could have gone either way. In other words, there is no clear lead in this competition nearly one week into camp.

“It’s still even-steven, no separation,” Fangio said. “We’re going to keep the rotation (close to an even split) these next three days as it’s been.”

Surtain’s versatility ‘rare’

Surtain made his first interception of camp when he followed Lock’s eyes during the seven-on-seven drill and jumped in front of the short pass, but the first-round pick had already impressed in this camp well before making that standout play.

Rook’s first pick‼️@PatSurtainll x #BroncosCamp pic.twitter.com/AmY3UI3LgV

— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) August 2, 2021

Surtain has been used all over the field. His most notable role has come as the sixth defensive back during dime situations. Fangio said has run those plays frequently in camp, in part, to get Surtain on the field as often as possible. But Surtain has also lined up outside and in the slot, demonstrating an early knack for the versatility the Broncos noted upon drafting the 6-foot-2 All-American out of Alabama.

“It’s rare that you would ask a rookie to do that,” Fangio said of moving Surtain into various roles early in his first training camp. “And it’s rare that he would be able to handle it and do it. Now he hasn’t perfected any of them yet, by any means, but we think (he) can and it’s not too big for him.”

Even when he doesn’t make a play, Surtain has generally been in the right spot. Surtain was in tight coverage against Jeudy toward the end of camp when Bridgewater lofted a pass just over the rookie’s outstretched hands. Jeudy caught the ball for a first down but Surtain had shadowed the electric second-year wide receiver — his former teammate with the Tide — across the field, stride for stride, something not many defensive backs have been able to do in this camp.

“We’re just out there competing, getting each other better,” Surtain said. “He’s going to have some good plays and I’m going to have some good plays. At the end of the day, we’re just getting each other better.”

Extra points

• Linebacker Josey Jewell will miss at least 10 days as he nurses a groin injury suffered early in Saturday’s practice.

“He feels a whole lot better than the medical staff is saying he is, so there’s kind of a conflict there, so we’ll see,” Fangio said.

With Jewell out of the mix, second-year player Justin Strnad worked with the first team for the second consecutive practice.

• Wide receiver Tyrie Cleveland missed Monday’s workout after injuring his “backside” during Saturday’s practice.

• Batted passes by the defensive line have been a common occurrence throughout camp. Dre’Mont Jones kept the streak going Monday with a hearty swat of a Lock pass during a red-zone period.

(Photo of Bradley Chubb: David Zalubowski / Associated Press)