National Football League

Chase Young's knee 'night and day' better to open mini-camp

Published Jun. 6, 2023 4:48 p.m. ET

When Chase Young made his long-awaited return to the field on Christmas Eve last year it was clear he wasn't fully back. He played the final three games of the season and had little impact. His explosiveness, his power, his presence all seemed gone.

Six months later, though, Young is back — at least that's how he felt as he hit the field in Ashburn, Virginia on Tuesday for the start of the Washington Commanders' three-day mini-camp. He said his surgically repaired knee felt good, he felt "pretty explosive" and even his old confidence returned.

"It's night and day," Young said after the workout. "Night and day."

It's only spring drills, of course, but that's a great first step for one of the most important players on the Commanders' roster. Because if Young can even be something close to the player everyone once thought he'd be, the Washington defense could be dominant. They already have one of the best defensive tackle tandems in Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, and defensive end Montez Sweat is an excellent pass rusher.

Young could be the missing piece that makes them one of the best front lines in the league.

For the moment, though, he's mostly a huge "if" — something Young surely understands after the franchise declined to pick up the $17.5 million option on his contract for 2024. They preferred to let him play out the year and prove his value.

And Young knows that as he enters his fourth NFL season, he's got a ton left to prove.

"Since I came into the game I was in it to prove myself," Young said. "So I'm not really thinking any different."

Yeah, but it's a little different now. When Young was taken second overall in the 2020 draft he was expected to be the NFL's next great pass rusher. He was trying to prove he was the next Joey or Nick Bosa, or the next J.J. Watt.

Right now, he's just trying to prove anything close to what he once was.

"I think the biggest thing as far as he's concerned, more than anything else, is just being healthy," Commanders coach Ron Rivera said. "He started to get healthier by the end of the year and played for us in (three) games. And we just want to see him pick up where he left off."

Where exactly Young left off is up for debate. He arguably hasn't been himself since his rookie season when he had 7.5 sacks, made the Pro Bowl and was the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. His follow-up season was a disappointment that turned into a disaster. He had just 1.5 sacks before his season ended in Week 10 with a torn ACL and patellar tendon in his right knee.

The injury was serious and so was the surgery. He needed a graft from the patellar tendon in his left knee to complete the reconstruction. That added to the recovery time. He ended up missing 11 months before he returned to practice and 13 months before he returned to a game.

He played a lot in those games, taking nearly 60 percent of the Commanders' defensive snaps. But he had just five tackles, no sacks, and only hit an opposing quarterback once.

Still, it was something to build on, from what Rivera saw.

"He was starting to play faster and faster," he said. "(We'd) just love to see him get out there and really run around and kind of cut a loose and not be tentative. That's probably the biggest thing for him."

Young sounded like he's already there. He said "I feel like myself today" after his first minicamp practice. He said he could feel a difference in "my confidence, my strength, everything". He also admitted he's motivated by the team's decision to pass on his contract option, and the thought that a strong comeback season could land him a very lucrative deal.

"Yeah, but I can use a lot of things as motivation," Young said. "All of them, they're stuck in my back pocket."

There should be a lot to motivate Young this season, because there's considerable doubt about what kind of player he can be. He hadn't come close to reaching the lofty potential everyone thought he had when he tore his knee during the 2021 season. The truth is, he hasn't really proven anything yet.

One practice wasn't going provide any answers, but at least things area headed in an encouraging direction.

"I'm pretty confident because he looked good. He really did," Rivera said. "I know the doctors were all positive about everything he's done.

"Again, it'll be one of those things that the proof will be in the pudding when we watch him out at practice."

So far, at least, Young's career rehabilitation is off to a promising start.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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