Last week, the Miami Dolphins made a surprising move at the trade deadline, acquiring linebacker Bradley Chubb and a 2025 fifth-round pick from the Denver Broncos for running back Chase Edmonds, a 2023 first-round selection (via. San Francisco) and a 2024 fourth.
Despite being with his new team for less than a week, Chubb traveled with the Dolphins to Chicago for their Week 9 matchup with the Bears. In the contest, he recorded just one tackle, but his presence was certainly felt, as he also hurried Justin Fields twice, according to Pro Football Focus.
Head coach Mike McDaniel was excited about his new defensive star’s debut.
“I was pumped,” McDaniel told the media in his Monday availability. “The stuff that he was able to do in terms of – you put yourself in his situation and it’s Tuesday and you just get notified that you’re traded teams, then you’re taking your Wednesday of your NFL prep week where you’re preparing for first and second down, half of it is occupied by doing physicals and stuff, then you’re trying to get sped up to a defensive system that’s in a different language. I was very happy with how he was able to go out and play pretty hard. There were several occasions that he didn’t end up on the stat sheet, but he completely affected the pass plays by getting to the quarterback in the rhythm quick enough that he had to get the ball out, and that’s what you’re asking of that position. He’ll get better and better as he gets more versed in the nuances of our scheme in both run and pass, but I’m really happy with the player, the talent and the effort. I feel like he’s going to fit right in and really help our group moving forward.”
Chubb played 54 defensive snaps (73%), which is pretty high for a guy who just moved across the country days ago. Running back Jeff Wilson Jr., who Miami also traded for at the deadline, was on the field for 28 offensive snaps (49%). McDaniel expected that kind of workload for the new additions.
“That’s kind of what I would have thought going into the game,” McDaniel said. “You’re just hesitant because there’s the human element. But if any two guys were capable of doing something like that, it would have to be two football-centric, committed, professionals like those two. You leave an open window for – just in case, (it’s), ‘Hey, this guy is overly on tilt and needs to take a breather,’ you kind of let them roll and see how they react. So I think that on both sides of the ball – on defense, I think our edge players got into a rotation that made them all better but it’s not finetuned yet. We’ll still be adjusting that to find our perfect mix, but I thought there was some groundwork laid there. I thought it was a nice balance to get some productive touches to Jeff and complement Raheem’s (Mostert) game. So I think all in all, I was very happy with those guys. It’s a testament to them and their teammates, really, for them to be able to produce in the short amount of time that they were able to.”
There’s a lot to be happy about for McDaniel, as his team is 6-3, and they’re on pace to make a postseason appearance.
