The Washington Commanders suffered a big blow already to start the 2022 NFL regular season. Defensive end Chase Young has already been placed on the PUP list for the start of the 2022 NFL regular season. He was the second overall pick back in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State.
The Washington Commanders will be playing in one MNF game this season on Monday, November 14th, on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. That is when quarterback Carson Wentz makes his first return home to Philadelphia, though. What does the injury mean for Chase Young and Washington?
Chase Young Misses the First Several Weeks:
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Chase Young is out for the first four games of the 2022 NFL regular season and potentially more games. The Washington Commanders will probably need him at 100 percent before he is taken off the list, though. Washington is going to need him at full strength in order to anchor this defensive line.
The first four games of the 2022 regular season will be against the Jacksonville Jaguars at home, the Detroit Lions on the road, the Philadelphia Eagles at home, and the Dallas Cowboys on the road.
After that, it will be interesting to see. They will have two games in one week on Sunday, October 9th, at home against the Tennessee Titans, and Thursday, October 13th, on the road against the Chicago Bears.
Washington may either be 2-4 or 3-3 in those stretches of games, though. The Jaguars and the Bears’ offensive lines are not very good by any means.
The Commanders defensive line should be able to be alright even without Chase Young for the first six games of the season. Expect his return date to be Sunday, October 23rd, at home against the Green Bay Packers.
He Will Need To Return To Form Right Away:
Whenever Chase Young returns to the football field right away, he is going to need to make an immediate impact. Young is going to have to play at a level like he never left. If there are any concerns about his play, it will be a major problem.
On Monday Night Football, it’s possible Chase Young may not be able to make an impact against that Eagles offensive line. Young has recorded 70 tackles, nine sacks, six forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and six pass deflections in his NFL career so far. He had a major sophomore slump after having a tremendous rookie season.
Chase Young was getting double and triple-teamed as a rookie and still getting past offensive linemen. He will need to do that again, and if that doesn’t happen, the term NFL bust will then start to come upon because of injuries and not because of talent. It is hard to come back from an ACL tear in the NFL.
A Hole On the Washington Commanders Defense:
With Chase Young not starting, James Smith-Williams is expected to be the starter on the defensive line along with Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Montez Sweat.
It is still a very good group up front, but it won’t be talked about that much on Monday night football tonight or any other NFL sports show until Chase Young returns.
Not having Chase Young on the roster, for now, feels like a hole on the defensive line, and he upgrades the pass-rushing department and the run-stopping department, though. He will need to be noticeable when he comes back onto the playing field. The defense already has some questions to deal with under head coach Ron Rivera and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.
In the NFL, teams need to be able to get after the quarterback if they want to give the football back to their offense. Chase Young watching games from the sidelines doesn’t have the same feel to this defense as it would if he was playing on the football field.
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