Commanders place Chase Young on Reserve/PUP in flurry of roster moves

The Washington Commanders‘ first wave of roster “cuts” was extremely complicated. When the dust settled, they placed two players, including Sammis Reyes, on injured reserve, and released three players, including former draft pick Troy Apke.

This week, the Commanders again had to trim their roster by five players and they fittingly picked a complicated route to meet that threshold.

Much like the first round of cuts, the second wave was highlighted by unsettling, but not unexpected, injury news concerning Chase Young. The Commanders placed Young on the Reserve/PUP List, meaning he’ll miss at least the first four games.

If you’ve been following along with Young’s recovery and his and Ron Rivera’s comments on his rehab, this was always the expected outcome.

The Commanders DE Chase Young on the Reserve/PUP List, which knocks him out the first four games of the 2022 season.

This update means Young will miss the Commanders’ fixtures against Jacksonville (home), Detroit (away), Philadelphia (home) and Dallas (away), respectively. The earliest he can return is Week 5 against Tennessee at FedEx Field, but it’s safer to dub late October as a more realistic return timetable for the pass rusher.

You might be wondering why Young’s recovery is taking longer than Logan Thomas’, who was activated off the PUP list Monday. While both players suffered torn ACLs and Thomas’ occurred three weeks later than Young’s, the 23-year-old took the patella tendon from his other knee to perform the surgery.

In other words, Young had to rehab both of his legs. Additionally, edge rushers are more dependent on explosion than tight ends, so Young was always going to need the allotted 8-10 month timeframe to fully recover from the injury.

In terms of Washington’s other moves, Tyler Larsen joins Young on the Reserve/PUP List. In addition, the Commanders released wideout Kelvin Harmon and tackle Rashod Hill, while placing recent signing Nathan Gerry on injured reserve, so need for a linebacker has returned with a bang, though most would argue it never left.

It’s definitely concerning Young won’t be available for the first month, but the Commanders should be able to manage that portion of their schedule. After all, the four-game stretch spanning Weeks 7-10, which includes tilts against Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minnesota and Philadelphia, is the toughest part of the schedule.

Better to have Young back at full-strength for that pivotal stretch.

Commanders fans will have to wait a little longer for Young’s return than they initially hoped, but there’s no reason to rush the process. Remember, his surgery was much more complicated than a standard ACL repair.