What’s Next in Chase Young’s Washington ‘Bag of Tricks’?

The NFL is overflowing with gifted athletes. How will Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young separate himself from them - and from offensive linemen trying to block him?

By adding intellect to athleticism.

By adding to his tool box. To his "bag of tricks.''

“I think it’s about having a plan more so than anything else and just not relying on your tremendous athletic ability,” coach Rob Rivera said, reflecting on Young’s noteworthy QB sack of Cam Newton in Friday’s preseason loss at New England. “As he’s developing that repertoire, he has to have a good feel for setting up one (move) to complement the other.”

The “repertoire.”

The “tool box.”

The "bag of tricks.''

Young, just 22 years old, was the NFL’s Defensive Rrookie of the year last season, and could in theory cruise by on what he's already built.

"That’s one of the tough things,'' Rivera said. "When you get these really good players coming from college football to the NFL, their initial thought is I’ve always been better than everybody. Then as they catch up to this league and (realize) these guys are just as good (as you), in a lot of cases now it really becomes where you’ve got to be able to rely on what your repertoire is of past moves. What your counters are, how quickly your counters come.”

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Everything is coming quickly to Young, who showed an explosiveness and a ferociousness in delivering a sack of Patriots quarterback Cam Newton in Thursday’s preseason loss at New England. And it wasn't just about athleticism.

Chase Young....oh my goodness

(via @WashingtonNFL)pic.twitter.com/73xve59jmT
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 12, 2021

"These are all things that as he gets more and more experience, becomes more of a veteran player, it will become even more natural,'' said Rivera of Young, who is already a "natural'' ... and adding to it with "tools'' and "tricks.''

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