Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett met with reporters on Tuesday before news broke of the trade that sent pass rusher Bradley Chubb to the Dolphins. Lurking within Hackett’s words were possibly a subtle clue that he had no issue with losing one of his best defensive players — if it meant making the offense better.
“I’ve been working trying to find a way to get another first down and get some better third-down plans and red-zone plans to make sure that we’re scoring more points,” Hackett said when asked about the Chubb trade chatter. “Bradley has been great. He’s a true pro. We love Bradley. He’s been somebody that I have loved getting to know. He’s had a great year this year. He’s been awesome. I can’t say enough good things about him and how much he means to me and everybody. When it comes to all the trade stuff, I let George [Paton] handle that stuff because I want to be sure we’re getting the best offensive group out there and making sure we’re doing a great job.”
Denver’s offensive group got a little better with the arrival of running back Chase Edmonds, who was sent from Miami as part of the trade. The first-round pick for 2023 will help with another potential offensive weapon for the Broncos, if Hackett makes it to his second year.
For the final nine games of the season, that should be his top priority. Getting to a second season. Having Chubb could have helped. If definitely couldn’t have hurt. In the end, however, Hackett will be judged in large part by the performance of the offense. It got a little better with Edmonds, which in his mind presumably offsets the fact that the team got a lot worse without Chubb.