Commanders' Ron Rivera 'Very Pleased' with Chase Young

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young needs to have a good season as he enters the final year of his contract.

Having a good season starts with the work one puts in the offseason, and coach Ron Rivera believes he has.

“I was very pleased with it. I mean, he had a good offseason, I do know that," Rivera said. "I followed him on social media and every now and then, he'd send me a little text to show me what he's been doing."

Young had to enact some changes to his offseason regimen considering he's no longer rehabbing a torn ACL in his knee. Part of that work came with collaborating with a former coach of his.

"One of the nice things was I know he went back and saw his old coach, his college coach, Coach [Larry] Johnson who he's got a tremendous relationship with. I know they worked on some of his things too as well, so he showed up ready to roll as were most of our guys," Rivera said. "I think our guys came back in great shape and as I said, I was really pleased with the tempo in which they practice with.”

Young faces free agency this offseason after the Commanders chose to decline his fifth-year option. If he plays like he did in his 2020 campaign where he won Defensive Rookie of the Year, he could be due for a contract extension. If he plays more like he did in 2021 and 2022, it will likely end his Commanders tenure.

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