'I'm Explosive!' Commanders' Chase Young: No Knee Brace, OBJ Advice
The NFL world has seen what Washington Commanders edge rusher Chase Young is capable of, in terms of his ability to blow up and offense along with his ability - even as a rookie - to lead a defense.
And Young, working now at Commanders camp, is suggesting that Chase Young is back.
“I feel (like) myself,” said Young, who recently shed his protective knee brace. “I feel good, and I’m running around, and I’m feeling explosive again.”
"Explosive" is a key word here. In his rookie year, he recorded 7.5 sacks and exhibited leadership tendencies that his coaches noted simply came naturally to him. But then came the serious knee injury in 2021 and then the lengthy rehab in 2022, and over the past two seasons the record shows that Young played only 12 games in the last two years and totaled just 1.5 sacks.
There has been much talk about trading Young ... but Washington would at this point be selling low. There is also the issue of his contractual status. Young is entering a contract year after the Commanders declined his fifth-year option. But now, maybe it can all be about football expectations - that can be met.
“It was almost kind of a pie in the sky,” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said of previous expectations.
Young suggested he's learned some lessons from veterans like Bills edge rusher Von Miller and Ravens receiver Odell Beckham Jr. about returning from injury.
“They said, ‘We just bounce back. That’s just what we do,” Young relayed. “That’s my plan, and I guess y’all are just going to see what happens.”
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