Commanders DE Chase Young Working Out with Super Bowl MVP
Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young is still on the road to recovery after tearing his ACL last November.
Young is expected to start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) List, but there's still a chance he could play in the season opener Sept. 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
As he hopes to become fully healthy by Week 1, Young is spending his offseason learning from one of the great pass rushers in the game, Buffalo Bills pass rusher Von Miller.
Young would probably be pretty happy to have a career like Miller's. In 11 seasons, Miller has made the Pro Bowl eight times and won two Super Bowls, one with the Los Angeles Rams last season, and Super Bowl 50 with the Denver Broncos, where he took home MVP honors.
Miller's 115.5 career sacks place him as the active leader and 22nd all-time. He'll hope to climb that ladder with the Bills, who signed him to a six-year, $120 million deal this offseason at age 33.
Miller and Young have a few things in common. Both were No. 2 picks in their respective draft class and both have torn their ACL. Miller tore his back in 2013 in the midst of a Broncos' Super Bowl run, but two years later, Miller was the Super Bowl MVP. Young hopes to have a similar kind of bounce back story.
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, 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.