Commanders’ Chase Young continuing ACL rehab with former Super Bowl MVP

The Washington Commanders are a better team with Chase Young. That might seem painfully obvious, but you really wouldn’t know it considering how certain members of the fan base view and treat the edge rusher on social media.

Recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 10 of last season, Young has spent most of the offseason rehabbing in Colorado. In a real display of leadership, the former second overall pick returned for the team’s offseason program.

By all accounts, Young’s right on schedule with his recovery. Given he sustained the season-ending injury in the second half of the schedule, however, it’s a long shot Young gets cleared in time for the start of the 2022 campaign.

Taking that into account, it shouldn’t have surprised anyone when Ron Rivera told ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler the star defensive end is “more than likely” to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list.

In terms of Young’s recovery plan, it appears he’s confided in a superstar pass rusher who suffered a torn ACL early in his career.

Does the name Von Miller ring a bell?

Commanders DE Chase Young is training with Von Miller in Colorado.

Young’s surgery was performed by Dr. James Andrews, so he’s been following the esteemed surgeon’s recovery plan. Young’s trainer Chris Knott and the Commanders’ new head trainer Al Bellamy have mentored the 23-year-old during this process. It appears we can now add Miller to that list, though the newly-minted Bills star is more likely giving pass-rushing pointers than knee rehab exercises.

With that said, Miller is all too familiar with rehabbing a torn ACL, which he suffered with one week remaining on the 2013 schedule. At that point, Miller was in his third season, just one year later than when Young suffered his ACL injury.

Incredibly enough, Miller responded by playing all 16 games and producing 14 sacks, which ranked sixth in the NFL, the very next season. In 2015, the then-Broncos phenom notched 11 sacks and took home Super Bowl MVP honors, so he’s a prime example that Young can return to Pro Bowl form after knee surgery.

At the end of the day, Commanders fans will be thrilled if Young enjoys even half the career Miller has put together. From two Super Bowl rings, a Super Bowl MVP, making eight Pro Bowls, three-All-Pro nods and being named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s All-Decade Team of the 2010s, Miller has done it all.

At 33 years old, Miller is fresh off tallying 9.5 sacks and being a catalyst in the Rams’ championship run last season. He’ll hope to have a similar impact in Buffalo this year with the Bills seemingly on the cusp of winning a title.

Young, on the other hand, will work to get cleared in time for the regular season. Whether that happens remains to be seen, but it’s awesome to know he’s been grinding with one of the best pass rushers of his generation during his rehab.