What happened to Chase Young? Injury timeline and replacements for Washington DE
Chase Young suffered a knee injury during Sunday's contest against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the worst fears were confirmed on Monday, as Young suffered a torn ACL that will have him out for the remainder of the season.
Young, the second-overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, went through a season full of challenges and had just 1.5 sacks in 9 games played. Everyone expected him to take the next step and become an NFL superstar, but he failed to live up to these expectations.
Young should be healthy for the start of the 2022 season and will have every opportunity to bounce back from a disappointing campaign.
While Rivera did not specify a knee injury, Chase Young did suffer a torn ACL, source confirms. Huge bummer, obviously. Washington won't have Montez Sweat the next 3-5 weeks with a jaw injury to boot. Depth tested on the DL but JSW and Casey Toohill did some good things Sunday.
When will Chase Young return?
A torn ACL ends every player's season, so Young won't be back on the field until next season.
Washington is not expected to reach the postseason, but even if they do, Young's recovery would still have a long way to go. He suffered the injury in a non-contact play against the Buccaneers.
Knee injuries are never easy to manage, especially when there's a torn ligament involved. There are still ten months until the start of next season, so barring any setbacks, Young hopes to be fine for Week 1 in 2022.
Who will replace Chase Young?
Young's unfortunate injury should open up more playing time for young players on the roster. It's another huge problem for Washington, who had already lost their other star defensive end, Montez Sweat, to a broken jaw in Week 8 against the Denver Broncos.
One player who should get more playing time without Young on the field is Casey Toohill, a second-year defensive end out of Stanford who joined the team last year after being waived by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Washington's highest-graded players from yesterday's win:
- Jonathan Allen (39 snaps): 80.2
- Kendall Fuller (48 snaps): 79.1
- Casey Toohill (29 snaps): 78.0
- Cornelius Lucas (73 snaps): 75.7
- Brandon Scherff (70 snaps): 75.6
Toohill has a single sack in his career, made this year against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6. He's an athletic player, but his pass rushing tools need refinement.
With more experience and more playing time, Toohill can become an important backup to Sweat and Young when the star players get healthy.
Young's injury is also going to demand more pass rush production from the interior of the defensive line, and guys like Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen have to step up more than ever. If Washington wants to make one final run for the playoffs this season, they've got to pressure opposing quarterbacks better: they only have 19 sacks in 2021, one of the worst numbers in the league.
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