Bradley Chubb is only three months into his long rehabilitation for a torn ACL, but he’s already excited about what he sees in his crystal ball.

Among his projections for 2020: a productive, healthy year for himself as part of a Broncos’ linebacking corps he believes “could be one of the best in the league”.

“You look around and see the guys we have, you see the talent, you see the work ethic,” Chubb said. “If we’re able to stick together, we could do something special.”

As for getting back on the field after his left knee injury, Chubb is being patient. Limited to just four games in 2019 after setting the Broncos’ rookie sack record with 12 in 2018, Chubb’s aim is to feel “100 percent by the season opener” in early September.

“I’m just hoping to feel the best I possibly can by the season’s start,” Chubb said. “I’m not trying to put (my return at) OTAs, training camp or really a date or anything in my rehab.”

Chubb’s pending return only raises the stock of a linebacking unit highlighted by a future Hall of Famer in Von Miller; emerging playmakers in Alexander Johnson and Malik Reed; and the team’s leading tackler, Todd Davis, who finished tied for 8th in the NFL with 134 total tackles.

All of those players are under contract with Denver in 2020, although Davis has an out in his contract that would allow the Broncos to release him for a $1 million “dead cap” hit.

Miller’s statistical output took a hit with just eight sacks in another Pro Bowl season — a career-low when discounting his shortened nine-game season in 2013 — but general manager John Elway expects him to return to his usual, elite form next year.

“Von played very well (in the season finale) and he’s going to continue to get better — I think that Von still has a lot of football in him, a lot,” Elway said. “I would say that I think that he can still play better than he played this year.”

While the Broncos anticipate the return of the genuine “Vonster,” Reed and Johnson are focused on using their 2019 seasons as a launching point for their burgeoning NFL careers.

Reed was a training camp darling after going undrafted out of Nevada, with the rookie eventually taking on a starting job at outside linebacker when Chubb went down in Week 4. And Johnson, who was out of football for three years due to legal issues, was a practice squad player in 2018 prior to his breakout 2019. Now he aims to establish himself “as one of the best inside linebackers in this league.”

“This season was a whirlwind for me and something I could have never expected,” Reed said. “From the start to the finish, there was good, there was bad, but I learned a lot and I gained a lot of experience I can carry into next year. I think all the linebackers did, the new guys and even the veterans like (Miller and Davis).”

The untapped potential of other Broncos linebackers raises the unit’s optimism even higher. Josey Jewell (under contract through 2021) is a 2018 fourth-round pick who took a back seat to Johnson, while rookie Justin Hollins (under contract through 2022) is a versatile defensive end/linebacker who filled in late this year.

In all, it fuels the increasing belief that the Broncos — with the depth and capability of their linebacking corps as one of the team’s pillars — are ready to get back into playoff contention in 2020.

“I think adversity really does build character and we have a locker room full of high-character guys,” Miller said. “Not only in the locker room, but in the front office and coaches. I’m excited to see where we go.”