MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — The absolute earliest the Miami Dolphins will get back pass rusher Bradley Chubb is Week 8 — which, in that best-case scenario, is 10 full months after his 2023 season-ending knee injury.
But based on Mike McDaniel’s comments on the matter Monday, even that seems ambitious. Chubb’s rehab timeline is a bit peculiar, considering most NFL players return to play from ACL ruptures in roughly nine months.
So did Chubb suffer a setback? Or was the injury more significant than just a standard ACL tear?
Miami Dolphins EDGE Bradley Chubb Injury Update
Going off of McDaniel’s remarks Monday, the latter seems more likely than the former.
Chubb has been eligible to return since the beginning of Wednesday, but on Monday McDaniel ruled out the team opening his three-week return window this week.
McDaniel did say this, however, when asked if he expects Chubb to play at some point this season:
“The way he’s attacked and the way he’s really come back from a pretty serious injury, I’m optimistic that I will, for sure. Just because we haven’t had any setbacks or anything, I’m optimistic for that.
“But I can promise you that whenever he is back, he couldn’t have been back any sooner. He is trusting our medical staff to make sure that they’re his discipline for not over-exerting or trying to make the time that he’s missed as small as possible. I think I’m very comfortable with where their working relationship is at, and the work that they’ve done, whenever we are able to see him, that’s as soon as we could have gotten him.
“The sweat equity that he’s put in, you wouldn’t know as a teammate he hasn’t practiced this year, just because he’s been around for everything and made sure to keep himself involved and used his leadership voice for a positive.
“I’ll be excited for when he gets back on the field. Don’t know exactly when that will be.”
Isaiah Wynn’s Murky Timeline
The story is similar for guard Isaiah Wynn, who suffered a quadriceps injury a year ago next week and hasn’t even practiced since.
Wynn remains on the physically unable to return list, and McDaniel on Monday shed no light on when he might return.
“There were some lingering things that did come up that weren’t the quad, based upon the quad injury, if that makes sense,” McDaniel said. “So there’s residuals in the human body and stress in one area can lead to stress in another.
“He’s been so unbelievable, thirsting for what he just got started last year, but understanding his own body and putting the daily work in. … He’s in this building non-stop trying to get himself back on the field. So for me, I’m just embracing no setbacks and hope to get him on the field. I don’t know when that is. And I’m not going to venture to guess.”
McDaniel ended his answer on Wynn — who will presumably compete with Robert Jones for the left guard job whenever he can play — on an optimistic note:
“It’s been a very positive couple of weeks for him specifically, as we hope to get him back on the field and have the best version of the Miami Dolphins that we can have.”