Commanders insider suggests Chase Young could start 2022 on injured reserve

Both the Washington Commanders and Chase Young have opted against setting a concrete timetable for the player’s return from ACL surgery.

Not only would doing so put pressure on Young to meet the timetable, but no single player recovers from major knee surgery the same.

Look no further than Adrian Peterson, who made a miraculous six-month recovery back in 2011 when medicine wasn’t nearly as advanced as it is now. Additionally, Von Miller tore his ACL in Week 16 of the 2013 season and returned to play all 16 games the following year before taking home Super Bowl MVP honors.

In a not-so positive example, Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari suffered the same injury on Dec. 31 of 2020 and missed all but one game in 2021 and didn’t even play in Green Bay’s playoff loss to the 49ers. The bookend left tackle even suffered a setback and currently isn’t practicing with training camp on the horizon.

With so many mixed results, the Commanders are smart to be cautious with their franchise defensive end. Just how cautious, you ask? Well, ESPN’s John Keim thinks it’s possible Young begins the 2022 season on injured reserve.

Don’t be surprised if Commanders edge rusher Chase Young begins the 2022 regular season on injured reserve.

In releasing a 53-man roster projection (subscription required), Keim floated the possibility of Young landing on IR to open the campaign with William Bradley-King and Shaka Toney pegged as the lead candidates to fill the void at edge rusher.

"A big key will be when they think Young can return from his torn right ACL; it’s possible he’ll have to open on injured reserve. They’re not as deep inside, but their top three should be solid with Allen, Payne and rookie second-round pick Mathis. Second-year ends Shaka Toney and Will Bradley-King need to show improvement to earn a spot, but if Young opens on IR one of them likely will be on the roster."

This speculation shouldn’t come as a surprise, especially with Young expected to open training camp on the physically unable to perform list (PUP). Having suffered the injury in late-November, the former No. 2 overall pick is still just six months removed from surgery. With the typical recovery timeline lasting 8-10 months, Young still might be two months away from being cleared for football activities.

From there, Young will have to work on getting back to full-speed, which could require several weeks of grinding, if not more. With so much of his explosion and burst off the edge dependent on a healthy pair of knees, Commanders fans shouldn’t blink if the team decides to slow-play Young’s return to the gridiron.

Per the NFL’s new set of rules for 2022, players on injured reserve have to miss a minimum of four games before they can return. That means Young would miss the first month of the campaign, but it would buy him additional time to ensure his knee his back to full strength before he returns to the starting lineup.

While Washington could likely get by without Young against Jacksonville and Detroit to open the season, not having him for rivalry games against Philly (at home) and Dallas (on the road) would be a crushing blow for the defense.

We’ll cross that bridge if and when it’s necessary, but it might be time for Commanders fans to start envisioning a world where Young isn’t in the lineup for Week 1 at the very least. Best not to be disappointed if it happens, right?