Commanders ‘Real Excited’ For DE Chase Young Return
The Washington Commanders saw a lot of Arizona Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs in their 20-16 win in Week 1.
Dobbs was able to attempt 30 passes against the Commanders defense, but he was also sacked three times and hit six more.
If Washington has its way in Week 2 Denver Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson is going to see just as much pressure, if not more.
Helping accomplish that mission will be fourth-year defensive end Chase Young, making his first regular season appearance this weekend.
“Oh, I’m real excited to get him back out there,” defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina said of Young’s impending debut. “You know, anytime you get a good football player to play for you and help the team win games, you get excited.”
That’s not to say there wasn’t plenty of excitement last week with other ‘good football players’ like defensive tackles Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, and defensive end Montez Sweat in action alongside James Smith-Williams who took the bulk of snaps in relief of Young.
“As a group we focus on leading this team and all the teams I’ve played on, and I’ve coached, that’s how it’s been,” Zgonina continued. “It’s always the front, you know, for the defense, it’s the D-Line. We’re the first line.”
Sergio Estrada, USA Today
That front line produced all six of those hits on the opposing quarterback last week and the three sacks.
With contributions from starters, the Commanders also got key plays from depth defenders like defensive tackle Abdullah Anderson to lead their team to victory.
But the star of the effort was Sweat who notched half of the team’s sacks, a quarterback hit, and two tackles for losses.
Something attributed to Sweat’s increased ability to finish pass rushes and improvements in his conditioning this offseason.
“Man, that’s my guy. We’ve been working in the offseason, so it definitely feels good to see what we worked no together come alive in the game,” Young said of Sweat’s Week 1 performance.
“We definitely conditioned,” he continued. “You work out with [Ohio State defensive line] coach [Larry] Johnson, he calls it he’s gonna test your oil. We definitely got our oil tested…I feel like we’re definitely in pretty good shape, good football shape…It’s just gonna help us be even more ready.”
To get ready for a hostile Denver crowd Washington departed the DMV a little later than usual as they look to avoid negative impacts that significant changes in altitude can have on athletes.
On top of that, they’re bringing better conditioning on the defensive line, a frontline group embracing a leadership role up and down the roster, and the return of a No. 2 overall pick looking to prove he’s better than ever.
