Ash Thompson Breaks Down The 90 Man Roster, Player By Player.
Brandon Chubb comes from an athletic bloodline. His father Aaron lettered as a linebacker at Georgia and went to the New England Patriots in the NFL draft. Brandon was a three-year letterman in high school, moving from defensive end to outside linebacker as a senior. The results were impressive. Chubb was first team All-Cobb County while maintaining his status on the honor roll.
He redshirted his first season with Wake Forrest but played in all twelve games in his second season. As primarily a special teams contributor Chubb finished that year with 22 tackles. It was in his sophomore that he took the field as a starter. He was a team captain in 2014 and 2015 for the Demon Deacons. Chubb was a volume tackling machine in both his junior and senior seasons, recording 203 tackles in 23 games.
Brandon Chubb’s Professional Career
Chubb signed with the Rams in 2016, along with 18 other undrafted players. The team needed to fill camp spots because they traded away a large number of draft picks to move up to the number one pick. Chubb made it all the way to the final cut down to 53 players before finding himself on the street. When the Lions found themselves desperately in need of help at the linebacker position after a rash of injuries, they added Chubb to the practice squad and held on to him for most of the season. When other players got back on the field, Chubb became dispensable. He was cut when the Lions added Adarius Barnes to the practice squad as a response to a string of injuries at the cornerback position. Chubb found work immediately, joining the 49ers practice squad for the remainder of the 2016 season.
The Lions must have liked what they saw, Chubb signed in Detroit to come back for a camp battle. He has the advantage of being a versatile linebacker. The Lions have added to their group in the 2017 draft, however. That makes his path to the 53 man roster some difficult terrain. Five linebacker spots are filled from the day that training camp opens. Chubb will have to fall back on his early days at Wake Forrest as a special teamer to grab hold of a position. It is likely that even if he does play well in the preseason he will spend at least the beginning of the 2017 season on the team’s practice squad.
