Chase Young‘s long-awaited return is here.
The Washington Commanders edge rusher will make his 2022 debut on Saturday against the San Francisco 49ers, coach Ron Rivera announced Thursday.
Young hasn’t played since suffering a significant knee injury in Week 9 of the 2021 season, sending him down a long journey back to the field that included surgery, rehabilitation and a lengthy ramp-up process that has delayed his return. Young returned to practice more than a month ago, but has followed a slow-moving plan in order to best prepare himself for action.
That time has finally come. Young will be on a pitch count in his first game back in order to minimize risk and allow him to adjust to the effects of a full-speed, late-season NFL game, an environment he hasn’t entered in more than a year.
“He felt really good this week,” Rivera said of Young. “I think seeing Dr. (James) Andrews probably was the final thing just to get him over the hump. He practiced with confidence. He showed us a willingness to stick that leg in the ground and roll off of it, plant it and cut off of it. He had a good week, so we’re pretty excited about that.”
Young began his career with a statement of a rookie season, winning Defensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2020 after recording 7.5 sacks in 15 games played. His first campaign set high expectations for Year 2, but the knee injury ended his season after just nine games and 1.5 sacks.
Young will hope to hit the ground running this weekend, even with the limited participation. Washington (7-6-1) needs as much as he can contribute as it aims to stay alive in the playoff race.