'Power-First' Commanders DE Chase Young: Top 10 Pass Rusher?
Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young is one of many who are looking forward to proving himself on Ron Rivera's roster.
Young responded to a Defensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2020 with a step back in 2021 that ultimately ended in a torn ACL.
Despite last season's troubles, Young was named an honorable mention in a ranking of pass rushers based on a survey curated by ESPN, which polled 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players.
"Young won Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 but struggled in Year 2 with 1.5 sacks in nine games," ESPN writes. "And now he is recovering from a torn ACL that could affect his early-season outlook for 2022. 'He'll be fine long-term,' an NFC front-office official said. 'He's best when he plays with power. He's a power-first guy.'"
The top-10 in the rankings were T.J. Watt (Pittsburgh Steelers), Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns), Nick Bosa (San Francisco 49ers), Joey Bosa (Los Angeles Chargers), Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas Raiders), Von Miller (Buffalo Bills), Chandler Jones (Las Vegas Raiders), Brian Burns (Carolina Panthers), Khalil Mack (Los Angeles Chargers) and Cameron Jordan (New Orleans Saints).
Young could have been easily in the top-10 had he repeated what he did in his rookie season last year.
Before his injury, Young's play wasn't representative of what he displayed in his rookie season. He managed to record just 1.5 sacks and 21 tackles in nine games last season.
Young is entering a critical year as the Commanders will have a choice to make regarding his fifth-year option at season's end. If he underperforms for a second straight season, there will be serious consideration to decline the option.
He doesn't have to be the Defensive Player of the Year, but anything less than a career-high eight sacks and at least a couple of forced fumbles is going to leave a lot of questions hanging in the air for the Commanders and how to proceed with their former No. 2 overall pick.
