ASHBURN, Va. — Commander Washington end defense chasing children will play for the first time this season, more than 13 months after he injured his right knee.
Young will play a limited role when the Commanders (7-6-1) compete in San Francisco (10-4) on Saturday. This is an important game for Washington, who is holding the seventh and final game with three games left.
“The time has come,” coach Ron Rivera said as he announced Young’s return to the squad.
Young tore his right ACL and ruptured his patellar tendon in a November 14 game against Tampa Bay last season. The tendon rupture extended his recovery time. There have been times in the past few weeks when both the team, and Young, had some optimism at the start of the week, but that eased after a few days of practice.
They want to see him push his feet out confidently, giving him the ability to deal with blockers and sides. But what they often see is hesitation. On Sunday, Young met with Dr James Andrews, who performed the surgery on him. Andrews told him the knee was fine.
At the time, Washington knew that Young would almost certainly make his debut against the 49ers. They just want to pass the week to make sure.
Rivera said: “Meeting Dr Andrews was the last thing to get him through. “He trained with confidence. He showed us his willingness to stick that foot in the ground and roll out of it, plant it and cut it off. He had a good week so we were. very excited about that.”
Rivera said Young will be limited to about 12 to 16 snaps.
On Wednesday, Young said, “Every day I feel better. Every day I feel better and more comfortable.”
Young returned to practice on November 2 and was activated on the 53-member roster on November 21. Two days later, Young was asked what he would add when he returned.
“Chase Young,” he said.
He later said he could still make an impact in limited moments.
“Shoot, 16 plays, one of which could be the way the game plays, you never know,” he said. “However many snaps, I will be prepared.”
Young was named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020 as he finished with 7.5 bats, 4 clumsy catches and 3 clumsy recoveries — including one for touchdown vs 49ers. But last season, he only managed to throw 1.5 times into the holster and two clumsy catches before he was injured.
He will be back on the defensive line that has driven so much of Washington’s success. solve defense Jon Allen Honored as Pro Bowl starter while teammates handle daron payne (replace first) and end Montez’s sweat (second alternative) is also mentioned.
Defensive line coach Jeff Zgonina said earlier this month: “It’s not that we put a guy off the street and you have to bring him in. “Chase has been here for three years. It’s nothing new. It’s just another tool. That’s all.”
