Tag: Chase Young ACL Injury

Commanders, fans give Chase Young another reason to be motivated

What’s your predictions for Chase Young’s sack total in 2023?

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How many sacks will Chase Young accumulate in 2023?

Well, Wednesday night, I discovered former Washington wide receiver Anthony Armstrong had stated he believed the Over/Under for Young’s sack total this 2023 season should be 6.5.

6.5? Wait, 6.5??

How did that happen that folks are actually thinking the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft in his fourth season will only generate 6.5 sacks?

If you are unfamiliar with over/under, the idea is that the folks setting the number, attempt to set the number where they will manufacture the most action (betting money action) where it will come from both sides (over and under).

Young injured his knee during the 2021 season against Tampa Bay. He then remained out the first 15 weeks of 2022 before appearing in the last three games in Weeks 16-18.

The former Ohio State All-American and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year (2020) pleased players, coaches and fans when he reported for the mandatory OTAs this week (June 6-8). He has been wearing a rather large brace for now, and all hopes are that Young is simply being cautious, not taking any chances as this is only the beginning of June.

It was noted by Mitchell Tischler (NBC Sports Washington) that Young was still wearing a brace, though Phidarian Mathis, injured in 2022, was not wearing a brace.

Young is going into a huge contract year for himself. The former Buckeye has already stated he is motivated. In 2020, he tallied 7.5 sacks, and Young this year knows he has not been offered the fifth-year option. There is plenty of motivation with those two facts alone.

If you had been asked after his 7.5 sacks in 2020, what would you predict as a sack total for Young in 2021? No doubt, the 6.5 prediction reveals that there are some out there whose expectations of Young have certainly declined and are trending downward.

Well, it’s only early June. Let’s at least wait until we see how Young looks in a preseason game before we determine what his sack total will be this season.

6.5? Perhaps when Young learns of that low total being predicted, he will have yet another reason to be highly motivated to prove everyone wrong.

Commanders may need to draft a defensive end

You can’t rule out the Commanders taking a defensive end early in the 2023 NFL draft.

Might the Commanders actually need to draft a pass rusher in the upcoming 2023 NFL draft April 27-29?

Don’t be too quick to simply reject the idea. Yes, Washington already has made a huge investment in their defensive line by resigning defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.

But Montez Sweat does enter the last year of his contract. Drafted in the first round (26th overall) in the 2019 NFL draft, Sweat has thus far been the best of Washington’s defensive ends.

For instance, last season (2022), Sweat had career highs in tackles for a loss (14) and quarterback hits (28). In addition, Sweat also contributed 8.0 quarterback sacks. His career high came in 2020 with 9.0.

The former Mississippi State Bulldog is set to earn $11.5 million this season, 5.0% of the Commanders’ salary cap. If he has a big year, he might be in high demand. Consequently, how much money then would Washington be able to designate toward its defensive line in 2024? Would the Commanders then determine to resign Sweat or let him walk in free agency?

Then there is Chase Young, the second overall selection in the 2020 NFL draft. Young is entering his fourth season and will be a $10,99 million cap hit for Washington, 4.8% of the Commanders’ salary cap.

The 2020 defensive rookie of the year has disappointed since, only achieving 1.5 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss and 4 quarterback hits in his 9 games before his 2021 season was ended by a torn ACL against Tampa Bay.

2022 saw Young only play in three games, recording three tackles, two assists and one quarterback hit. This will be Young’s fourth season. The fifth-year option window for first-round choices in the Class of 2020 opened on Jan. 9, and the Commanders have yet to respond. They will need to soon as the final deadline is May 1.

So, quickly, the Commanders may not use the No. 16 pick on an edge rusher, but might they do so if they traded back to somewhere in the 20s? What about at No. 47 or No. 97?

So in these last two weeks leading up to the NFL draft, you might want to check up on some edge rushers / defensive ends and where they are being projected to being taken in the first three rounds.

What happened to the Commanders Chase Young plan?

Chase Young looked great Sunday. Did Washington allow him to play too much in his return?

Washington Commanders Chase Young was to play about 16 snaps against the 49ers, so why did he end up playing twice as much?

After a few weeks of anxiously awaiting when Young would officially be active for a Commanders game, Young saw his first action Saturday in the Week 16 contest at San Francisco.

We had heard defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio remaining cautious concerning Young being pressed early, wanting Young to simply do his job and be wise in how he was used. Head coach Ron Rivera had also more than once declared Young would be on a pitch count analogous to pitchers being closely monitored in concern for their short and long-term health.

Once Young reached his 16-play limit, he continued to play. Why?

Imagine Stephen Strasburg returning from a major injury and being instructed he will be limited to 40 pitches in his first appearance. The trainer and pitching coach inform Strasburg in the dugout that he has reached 39 pitches, so he will not be taking the mound in the fourth inning. “But I feel really good,” responds Strasburg.

How should a knowledgeable and wise training and coaching staff respond? “Oh, you feel really good? Oh, you really sure you want to go back out there for another inning or two?” How much respect would you have for that training and coaching staff?

Chase Young was supposed to play up to 16 snaps Saturday. So why was Young playing 30 snaps in his first action? I mean, if he wasn’t ready last week to play against the Giants, why was he in on 30 snaps this week when leadership said he would play up to 16?

“That was my choice,” Young told reporters after the game. Excuse me? Your choice? Since when is it Young’s choice for him to play twice as much as the announced 12-16 snaps he would play?

Yes, Young is an explosive athlete, but who relinquished their authority and handed it over to Young?

Young was thinking only about that game, playing well in (and more plays) in that one game. Doesn’t sound leadership think about long-term health?

Wouldn’t it be more thorough and wise for the organization to formulate a plan, based upon the knowledge of human anatomy, the science of human recovery and rehabilitation and for the coaching staff to effectively stick with such a plan these last two weeks?

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Chase Young’s return for Commanders is encouraging

You couldn’t help but be excited for Chase Young after his debut Saturday.

None of us knew what to expect, knowing Chase Young was making his return Saturday, against San Francisco.

Young had not played since the November 2021 home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when Young tore his ACL.

ESPN stats states Young was in on two tackles Saturday, one solo, one assisted, and also deflected a pass.

It may not make the stat sheet, but Young also had a play in the second quarter where he clearly determined to set the edge, and force the runner back inside and Daron Payne appeared in the gap to make the tackle. But it was a good example of doing your job in playing defense and your teammate being accountable to then do his own job as well.

On the very next 49ers snap from scrimmage, quarterback Brock Purdy was alone in an empty set on 2nd & 9 from the 49ers 14-yard line. Taking the snap at his own 9-yard line he dropped shortly to the 6, looked right toward tight end George Kittle who was breaking to the sideline at the 19-yard line.

As Purdy released his pass for Kittle, Young who was lined up as the left defensive end, leaped in the air raising his right arm and hand into Purdy’s passing lane. Young’s timing was terrific, making contact with the ball, deflecting the ball up into the air, and the ball landing just a couple of yards behind Young.

I didn’t expect much from Young in his season debut Saturday. I mean, after all, I didn’t see much from him in 2021 either. Oh, he rushed way upfield, leaving huge running lanes at times for agile, mobile quarterbacks.

But today, Young looked to be comfortable, have a spring in his step, and more than once looked to play team defense rather than simply leave his area to chase the ball all over the field.

Recalling both Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio had previously voiced their frustration with Young not doing his job last season, performing more like an independent contractor. However, Young’s 2022 debut Saturday was encouraging.

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Commanders DE Chase Young received two different evaluations this week

Is Chase Young going to be ready for Monday night? We examine what both Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio said about Young on Friday.

Chase Young, the Commanders third-year defensive end is nearing the time he will be activated, returning to the playing field.

On November 14, 2021, against the Tampa Bay Bucs, Young injured his right knee. The knee required an ACL reconstruction, more serious than a repaired ACL. A graft from his left patellar tendon was performed to reconstruct the ACL in his right knee.

Perhaps Young is now ready to be activated for the Eagles’ Week 10 or the Texans in Week 11?

On Thursday, head coach Ron Rivera when asked about Young’s practice and health replied, “He looked good. We put him in pass-rush situations to watch him and get a chance to watch him on tape a little bit more. He looked good. It’s good to see him moving around, moving as quick as he is. We’ll see how he is tomorrow morning. It will always be about the next day, how much they work them, the next morning if he is sore or not, will help dictate whether or not we will activate him or not.”

On Friday, when asked about Young’s practicing and soon return, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio responded rather differently. “Well, his energy’s always great. Love having him, so to see him back on the field; He’s able to do some things. I wouldn’t call him full speed at this point in everything he’s doing, but he’s working at it. He’s giving it everything he has, and when he is right, we’re going to play him. But until he is right, we’re not going to play him.”

I don’t know what to make of the difference between the two responses. Yet, isn’t the different reaction in the two NFL veteran linebackers and coaches worth noting?

Perhaps a logical explanation might be that Rivera was commenting on how Young practiced Thursday. Did the extra work cause some fatigue for Young? Therefore, might Young have been a step or two slower on Friday? Is this perhaps to what Del Rio was responding?

We will continue to monitor Young’s progress and hope for his return soon.

Where is Commanders’ Chase Young in his rehabilitation?

A good overview of Chase Young’s rehab. Young returns to practice this week.

Dr. Wesley Wang a physical therapist in Rockville, MD., and joined Craig Hoffman of The Team 980 to discuss the surgery and rehab of Commanders DE Chase Young.

Young, who tore the ACL in his right knee on Nov. 14, 2021, also required a Patellar tendon graft from his left knee to repair the torn ACL. Thus, Young required some rehab on both knees. Young returns to practice Wednesday.

Wang works with many D1 athletes in rehab from major sports injuries. Here are a few excerpts from Wang.

“He (Young) is in a sense dealing with two surgeries. One is considered the healthy knee, but was then weakened because they took a third of his Patellar tendon.”

“So throughout the recovery process, you have to be maintaining and managing his load to his non-affected side because you are not trying to aggravate that side.”

“I am going to guess that they put him on a snap count. He might play somewhere along the way of 10 to 15 snaps at first. It seems like they have been really conservative the entire way through (the process). They will manage his volume.”

“My best guess is maybe by Week 13 or 14 he will probably be on a full go. Or they could continue to go the full conservative route snap count the rest of the season. Even as a Commanders fan, I guess they know we are not going to win the Super Bowl this year. They are trying to keep their franchise player as healthy for years and years down the line.”

“Even my high school kids who are playing for scholarships, they are trying to get into D1 schools. In their mind, they think, ‘I have to go back at 100 percent right away.’ But every one of my kids I keep them on a count and increase them by 15-20 percent. That is how I gradually expose them back again.”

“Too many times you see them thrown back out there to a full practice, a full contact go. Four or five times in, something happens to the other ACL. That means you were never adequately prepared. So, with a player of Chase’s caliber, they are going to be really conservative.”

“This man has to bend and twist. He is getting pushed every single play. It’s not like he can avoid contact on any play. He is playing one of the most physical positions in the most physical sport.”

“No matter what, you can never replicate game speed and game intensity in a rehab setting or in practice. It’s borderline impossible.”

“If I were working with someone like Chase I would have gradually built up the speed and progression of him pushing. Asking him, ‘What moves are you hesitant about?’ Whatever it may be, we are going to work on that in the rehab setting, over and over again.”

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Is Commanders DE Chase Young’s injury combo rare?

Chase Young’s knee injury was rare, according to one doctor.

Was Chase Young playing injured prior to his ACL tear?

Kevin Sheehan and guest Dr. Jesse Morse, MD discussed Young’s injury on Sheehan’s podcast Wednesday.

Morse, a Board Certified Sports & Family Medicine physician in Miami, is a Cell Therapy Specialist at The Osteopathic Center. He follows sports, is known as “The Fantasy Doc” and has professionally helped many athletes.

Here are some excerpts from Dr. Morse regarding his opinion of the Chase Young injury. With the link provided above the interview begins at 42:50.

“Even a patellar tendon rupture in its isolation is a rough injury. Combining that with an ACL is a BIG deal. I don’t think I have ever heard of this combo together. I don’t know how he would even do it. It is a very strange combo.”

“The Patellar tendon is the tendon that attaches the knee cap to your shin. Essentially it pulls down on the shin anytime you want to walk or anything. It is a weird combination of tearing that and the ACL at the same time.”

Traditionally the ACL is going to be minimum of 9 months up to 12 months of rehab without any setbacks. The problem with an ACL tear by itself is you pretty much need to get started on rehab pretty quickly. But with the Patellar tendon you need 4 to 6 weeks of allowing it to heal before you can start pushing it. You can’t do both at the same time because that would obviously counteract what you are trying to do.”

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t come back until November. Given his stature, how important he is to the team, his position, the fact that you don’t want to bring him back and say, ‘Hey, we are only going to bring you back for ten plays a game.’ They want to bring him back and let his motor go. So, I think they will bring him back when he is 100 percent ready, really trust that knee, fortify that knee.”

“Is there a possibility he doesn’t play in 2022? Yes. It’s probably only a 30% chance of that now. Maybe a setback, maybe the team is not doing the best and they say, ‘You know what? It is probably not worth it to bring him back this year.’ A just in case type of thing. I could see that coming to fruition.”

When Sheehan expressed Young was not effective prior to the ACL tear, and his production was considerably less than his rookie 2020 season, he asked Dr Morse, “Was it possible he was playing injured?”

“Definitely. I will tell you; I see all different positions, linemen, quarterbacks, wide receivers, everything. I would say we probably know about 20 percent of their injuries from the media. Even then, whenever I ask them, ‘What is bothering you today?’   They could answer ten things. But it is only the thing that is bothering them the most (that they express). They all have crazy injuries.  Most of the time they function through them, push through them.”

“Could it be something that was changing his mechanics that was causing him to not have the same level of explosiveness? Could he have had a partial injury to that Patellar tendon? Very much so. It is very common actually. If you throw an ultrasound on it, you can see it in a minute.”

“A lot of guys just push through it and hope it gets better because they are used to everything getting better. They are genetic freaks. They are used to being the best of the best. But unfortunately, ligaments and tendons don’t heal, and they learn the hard way.”