Commanders adding Chase Young to active roster comes at perfect time

Washington Commanders’ star pass rusher Chase Young has officially been added to the 53 man roster, according to head coach Ron Rivera.

Chase Young has been out and rehabbing from his torn ACL since Nov. 14 last season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Fans have been eager for update on Young, and finally received some good news when the team activated his 21 day window off of the IR.

The deadline for Young to be activated was Tuesday Nov. 22nd, so the timing comes to no surprise, but still good to see. Had Young not been activated before Tuesday, he would’ve spent the remainder of the year on injured reserve.

Now, Young has a great chance to contribute to a defense and defensive line that’s performed like one of the NFL’s elite over the last month … though we wouldn’t jump to conclusions and assume he’ll play Sunday against the Falcons.

Commanders add Chase Young to 53-man roster; unsure yet if he’ll play Sunday vs the Falcons.

As Ian Rapoport stated in his tweet, there’s no definitive answer on if Young will play on Sunday, but it will really depend on how well he looks in practice this week. The former No. 2 overall pick has been wearing a noticeable brace on his knee while going through drills, and Rivera stated that when he does play, it will be on a pitch count.

With Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat dominating, perhaps Young can start out as a third-down specialist to ramp up his conditioning and go from there.

Washington’s depth at the edge position, along wit Sweat having one of his best seasons, helps with the pressure of Young having to come back and show results right away. Expect the same rotation that Washington has been going with, as they weave Young into the mix.

Washington’s defensive line has been playing to its full potential this season as one of the top pass rushing teams in the NFL, and adding Chase Young will be a huge bonus regardless.

Nonetheless, fans will be excited to see their franchise pass rusher on the field hyping the defense up instead of on the sideline in street clothes. Maybe we will be getting another Chase Young and Taylor Heinicke meme soon, and possibly in the endzone on Sunday at FedEx Field against the Atlanta Falcons.

What a 24 hours it’s been for the Commanders.