Commanders' Chase Young to Miss First 4 Weeks

The Washington Commanders moved edge rusher Chase Young to the reserve/PUP list on Tuesday, which will result in him missing a minimum of the first four weeks of the 2022 regular season.

Young will be eligible to return for a Week 5 contest against Tennessee on Oct. 9. Several reports have indicated the Commanders expect to have the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year available to play against the Titans.

Young’s 2021 season ended when he suffered an ACL tear in the second half of a Week 10 matchup with Tampa Bay. After undergoing successful reconstructive surgery that November, the Commanders were hopeful they'd have Young for most of the 2022 season.

Dr. Jessica Flynn of The 33rd Team says this is all fairly common.

#Commanders pass rusher Chase Young tore his ACL just 9 months ago, placed on Reserve/PUP today, making him eligible to return in wk 5 at the earliest. This isn't unusual, return at 10-12 months is common and most guys don't feel close to 100% until their 2nd season back. https://t.co/tinoeQFpsT

— DocFlynn (@DocFlynnNFL) August 23, 2022

Young was a standout talent at Ohio State, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2019. After being selected second overall in the 2020 draft by Washington, he began producing quickly. He recorded 7 1/2 sacks and 4 forced fumbles in his rookie year.

The 33rd Team's Head of Scouting, T.J. McCreight, had an up-close view of Young when he worked for the division rival Philadelphia Eagles.

"Chase Young found success early in the 2020 season leading all rookies with 7.5 sacks," McCreight said. "I was a member of the Philadelphia Eagles scouting department in his first game as a rookie-unfortunately for us- Chase was dominant in that game, and we struggled to contain him. He finished with 1.5 sacks, 4 tackles and even forced a fumble that day."

McCreight believes the Commanders will have to make adjustments on defense to make up for Young's absence.

"With Young on the sideline for the first few weeks of the season it will put Washington in a difficult situation," McCreight said. "Teams will put their focus on Montez Sweat because they don't have a lot of depth on the edge. I thought that James Smith-Williams flashed some good things as a rusher and Casey Toohill is a high-effort player with toughness-but those players don't have close to the ability of Chase Young. Look for Commanders' defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio to manufacture quarterback pressure with stunts, blitzes and more games."

Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson agrees, stressing that those names McCreight mentioned will have to believe in their ability to fill in for Young's absence until the young star is able to make his return.

"They have players on that list, not the same as Chase Young because I think Chase Young is a generational talent," Woodson said. "But we're going to talk to the guys and we're gonna tell them, 'Hey, when you step on the field, you gotta believe in who you are. You have to believe in each other, do your job first, trust everybody, and at the end, we can't let anybody down by self-doubt.'"

With expectations high for the Commanders' defensive this season, they'll hope to have Young back in the fold as soon as they can get him.