As the NFL continues to make plans for all players to be able to return to team facilities, a select few have been rehabbing through injures in the buildings.
Denver Broncos pass rusher Bradley Chubb, rehabbing a torn ACL, said the experience in a mostly empty facility has been somewhat eerie.
"It was weird, just very quiet," Chubb said, via ESPN. "And it was some days people didn't feel like talking it would be a quiet room, just working out in a quiet room. We did a good job trying to make sure we had that same energy every day in training room, but it definitely wore on you seeing the same people over and over and doing the same thing over and over."
Chubb had his knee surgically repaired in October and had been rehabbing before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down team facilities. Teammate Von Miller was one person who contracted the virus and has since recovered.
The NFL began allowing rehabbing players to return to team facilities -- with restrictions in place -- late last month.
"It's trainers and like four guys now, it's still a small group," Chubb said. "Something we're very lucky to be able to do. ... Looking back when you see that stuff on the news, in the beginning I didn't know how serious it was. ... When Von got sick, it was like 'OK, this thing is serious,' everything he was going through, the symptoms he had, you could tell it was something people had to take serious."
Chubb said he's made progress in his rehab and is able to cut on the surgically repaired knee.
"It's progressing like I want to, finding all the different type of things I can do on my own to make sure I'm the best the next day," Chubb said. "Trying to find all the small things I can do to make sure I'm 100 percent. Right now, I'm feeling good, doing a lot of different things, cutting-wise, getting back into like position work. ... To see where I started off and where I am now is amazing [but] I'm ready to get back around my teammates."
How long it takes for Chubb to get back to form will play a major role in how the Broncos defense starts its season. A healthy Chubb and Miller off the edge on a line that added underrated stud Jurrell Casey to the middle would be a beast for offensive lines to handle.
For now, Chubb will continue to rehab in that quiet facility until the rest of his teammates are allowed to join.
