Latest On Commanders DE Chase Young

This week brought the one-year anniversary of Chase Young‘s ACL tear. The Commanders have yet to move the former Defensive Rookie of the Year back onto their active roster, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that move will not transpire Saturday.

Young is not yet ready to return, and NFL.com’s James Palmer notes Commanders brass — upon seeing Young’s Monday-night warmup — could not say with certainty when the talented pass rusher would be ready to return (Twitter link). Ron Rivera said this week Young would be a game-time decision — if the Commanders had chosen to activate him by today’s deadline. With the team set to keep him off the roster for another week, that decision has been made.

The Commanders have until Wednesday to move Young from its reserve/PUP list to its 53-man roster. It is a near-lock that shift will take place, with the alternative being Young misses the entire season. The Bills have proceeded this way with Tre’Davious White, who has been on their active roster for multiple weeks despite not having played since his ACL tear. White suffered his knee injury not long after Young, who went down Nov. 14, 2021.

A report just before the season indicated moved Young’s recovery timetable to the midseason point. While Young has been eligible to come off Washington’s PUP list since Week 5, the former Heisman Trophy finalist underwent reconstructive surgery that required a graft from his left patellar tendon. That contributed to this extended timeline. It is unsurprising the team is being cautious with perhaps its highest-ceiling player, who is in his age-23 season. But this process dragging past the one-year mark is certainly notable. Considering this delay, Young may not be ready to be a full-time performer again until the 2023 season.

It is still close to a slam-dunk call the Commanders pick up Young’s fifth-year option in May, but this injury has prevented the team from benefitting from much of the Ohio State alum’s rookie contract. A Young extension being tabled until the 2024 offseason may have always been the plan, with organizations — excluding quarterbacks and select others — usually preferring to not extend first-rounders before their option years. But this injury stands to put some pressure on Young to prove himself again post-surgery.

Washington is now 5-5 but remains fourth in the NFC East, sitting behind the Eagles (8-1), Giants (7-2) and Cowboys (6-3). No division has produced four playoff teams since 1998, when the AFC East accomplished this. Granted, this was impossible from 2002-20. Young’s return would provide a boost to a Commanders team that has returned to contention, following a brief window — after a 1-4 start — in which seller’s trades were being considered. The team will continue to use Montez Sweat (four sacks) and James Smith-Williams (two) as its primary edge defenders.