Chase Young Returns to Washington: From Injuries to a New Start with the 49ers
ASHBURN, Va. – The first season went as planned: Defensive end Chase Young made an immediate impact, helping the Washington Commander win the NFC East and win awards for his performance. And then nothing else went as planned. Young tore the ACL and patellar tendon in his right knee nine games into his sophomore season. He could not return until the final three games of the season and was then traded to the San Francisco 49ers in October.
This marriage was not meant to be. Now, Young will return with the 49ers (11-4) to play in his former stadium against the Commanders (4-11), who will likely be traded after the regular season. Meanwhile, Young prepares for the finals.
Washington does not want to discuss the situation yet, but is focused on other more important issues. During the trade, in which Washington received the third pick from the 49ers, Commanders coach Ron Rivera said the move was in the best interest of the team.
They had no intention of making a long-term commitment to Young — a free agent after the season — and multiple sources said the commanders were tired of trying to get him to play in their system. For Young, however, it gave him a chance to have fun again.
The 49ers are winning, while Washington hasn’t won more than 10 games in a regular season since 1991, going 13-21 in Young’s games. andquot;I could say that there is a motivated team,andquot; Young said. andquot;I was motivated to come, I’m still motivated. Everyone here is still motivated. So it helps if you’re around guys who I think are like you. Motivated and tried to hunt. I feel like that just helps Young recorded five sacks in seven games with Washington; he has 2.5 in seven games in San Francisco.
He had 38 rushing yards with the Commanders, according to ESPN Stats and Data; he has 15 with the 49ers. But the rest of the 49ersand#039; passing numbers improved in Youngand’s seven games. Before Youngand arrived, San Francisco had 18 sacks and 90 quarterback pressures in eight games. The 49ers had 27 sacks and 101 pressures since Young joined.
Young started in Washington; the head is a backup head in San Francisco. andquot;I think heand#039;s had a big impact,andquot; San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan said. andquot;I think the head played the run well. I think he played the pass well. Head helped the rotation keep everyone there efficient and fresh. I’m really happy for him.
Young has less pressure to perform in the West than in his hometown. Here, Young was the face of the Washington franchise and someone the media wanted to interview every week. It is one of many name players that are not limited by requests. He also said in Washington that when the defense struggles, the control is often on the defensive line — which at the time had four first-round picks.
The Chiefs now have just two, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen, after trading Montez Sweat to Chicago the same day they sent Young to the 49ers. andquot;I can just walk out,andquot; Young said. andquot;Every game you lose, it’s not just me or the D-line per se. But I wouldn’t say play for free, but I can play without thinking if we lose this game, they’re going to blame the D-line again ;Itand#039;is a team sport.
There’s only so much a game’s D-line can do. I’m not saying the guys didn’t do their job, but it takes all 11 to make it happen and Washington has gone 1-6 since trading its defensive ends, though the defense struggled long before those trades. The Commanders recorded 13 sacks in those games, but nine came in one inning against the New York Giants.
They have 65 pressure after trade; they had 92 pre-trades. But a big part of the deal was an acknowledgment that they wouldn’t re-sign either pending free agent. Rivera called it a “paradigm shift Before owner Josh Harris bought the team in July, Rivera said they wanted to sign Sweat.
They wanted to see how Young did, and when the season went well, they re-signed him – after opting out of his fifth year. According to multiple sources, Sweat remains the player Washington was hoping to keep. But the organization decided to take advantage of the opportunity to take the Bearsand#039; a second round pick did the trick. andquot;It’s really what we felt was in the best interest of our football team going forward,andquot; Rivera said at the time.
Meanwhile, Young said part of the reason he enjoys being in San Francisco is the “culture.andquot; andquot;We have a standard here,andquot; he said. andquot;I feel like everyone tries to live up to that standard in everything they do: recovery, training, and it’s definitely contagious.
And such a competitive thing. You see one of your teammates doing the right thing and you might think and#039;Okay, I need to do it even more correctly.and#039; I feel that and that friendly competitive nature I feel we all have to be great.
It wasn’t the first time Young mentioned how much he likes San Francisco and the culture. When Rivera was asked about this year, he said simply: I really appreciate who he is for us and who he was for us. Did nice things and wished him luck in San Francisco Young had a strong start to his career in Washington, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award with 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries – including one against San Francisco. But he had just 1.5 sacks in nine games before injuring his knee in 2021.
No one believed that these things would come. So, that’s the unfortunate part, andquot; Rivera talked about the injuries. But that rookie season hinted at better success. He had a great rookie year,andquot; said Washington quarterback Terry McLaurin, Youngand’s teammate at Ohio State. He got hurt and it slowed him down a little bit
Heand will go to Washington without starting left tackle while Charles Leno Jr. is out with a calf injury. But while Young may downplay the importance of playing in Washington, others know him better. Current teammate Nick Bosa said Young is “very happy and excited about it Former teammate McLaurin isn’t surprised.
andquot;Heand#039;s excited about every game he plays, that energy,andquot; McLaurin said. andquot;I know for sure he is very excited to be home and play against his former team. Good #039; does his best; our offensive line is trying to make sure that doesn’t happen.
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