Commanders DE Chase Young: Breaking Records in 2022?

Chase Young has high expectations in 2022.

Jeremy Brener | Jul 22, 2022

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young had a season to forget in 2021.

After winning Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2020, Young struggled in his sophomore campaign, recording just 1.5 sacks and landing on injured reserve with a torn ACL in early November.

However, ESPN believes Young will bounce back in his third season as one of the sack leaders in 2022 if he can stay healthy.

“Well, I look at a guy like Chase Young,” McFarland said. “He’s coming off an ACL injury, obviously. His rookie year he had 7.5 sacks and he was just going to build on that last year, but the ACL popped up, he got injured. I think he’s gonna be motivated—not only didn’t he make the top 10, but motivated coming off the ACL.”

“If he can stay healthy for 17 games, he will approach 20 sacks in the National Football League and approach the forced fumble record,” McFarland said. “He is that type of disruptive and dynamic athlete at the defensive end position for the Washington Commanders.”

Young is entering a critical year as the Commanders will have a choice to make regarding his fifth-year option at season's end. If he underperforms for a second straight season, there will be serious consideration to decline the option.

He doesn't have to be the Defensive Player of the Year and record 20 sacks, but anything less than a career-high eight sacks and at least a couple of forced fumbles is going to leave a lot of questions hanging in the air for the Commanders and how to proceed with their former No. 2 overall pick.

Published Jul 22, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.