Will Commanders' Chase Young Have 'Pitch Count' in Week 2?

Washington Commanders pass rusher Chase Young will make his season debut in Week 2, but how many snaps will he be on the field for?

Washington Commanders pass rusher Chase Young is set to make his 2023 debut in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos after a neck stinger forced him to miss a season-opening win against the Arizona Cardinals. But the 24-year-old won't be without some restrictions as he returns to the field. 

Without getting into specifics, Washington coach Ron Rivera did acknowledge that the Commanders will have to manage Young's workload in Week 2. 

“We most certainly have to be aware and have a pitch count, obviously," Rivera said. 

"The biggest thing more than thing else is the young man has just been terrific from day one in training camp, worked his tail off, had the unfortunate [injury] where we had to put him down for a little bit and then now he's back up. He's been working hard. He's done everything he needs to. He's been chomping at the bit, so we're excited for his opportunity.”

Chase Young is set to make his season debut for the Washington Commanders in Week 2. (Geoff Burke/USA Today)

The other thing at play here is that not only is Young going to be trying to play himself back into game shape in Week 2, but he'll be doing so in Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, hardly the easiest environment to ease yourself back into things. 

Nonetheless, the Commanders have to be ecstatic about Young's return to the field. Defensive tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen are one of the league's elite interior defensive line duos, and Young has a chance to be part of a similar pairing coming off the edge with Montez Sweat. 

After tearing his left ACL in Week 9 of the 2021 season, 2022 essentially turned into a lost year for Young, as the former Defensive Rookie of the Year played in just three games. 

The Commanders declined Young's fifth-year option this offseason, meaning he's technically in a contract year. But if he's able to recapture the form that he showed in 2020 -- when he had 44 combined tackles, 12 quarterback hits, 10 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries -- he'll set himself up well this offseason, whether that means forcing the Commanders to use the franchise tag on him or giving a long-term deal.