Commander Country

WATCH: Commanders Make Cancer Survivor's Dream Come True

The Commanders hosted a young cancer survivor at their practice Saturday evening.

Jeremy Brener

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young has yet to participate in training camp this summer.

The third-year defensive lineman is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the middle of last season, and is hoping to return before the team's opening game in five weeks on Sep. 11 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

However, the prognosis does not look good for Young to return by the start of the season. Luckily for Washington, it may have found Young's replacement.

The Commanders hosted 11-year-old cancer survivor (and aspiring defensive lineman) Josiah at the team's open practice Saturday evening at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.

Josiah comes to the team with proven toughness as a cancer survivor and it appears the team is excited to have him.

During his visit to camp, head coach Ron Rivera invited Josiah to the locker room to be introduced by the team. He also had Young gift him his own burgundy Commanders jersey with a 99 on the front and Josiah's name on the back.

It's wholesome to see the Commanders and Rivera come together to celebrate Josiah's cancer battle. Back in 2020, the franchise dealt with Rivera's own cancer diagnosis and fight in the middle of the season, one that was also particularly difficult thanks to the navigation of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the perils and injuries of camp already getting the best of the Commanders, it's refreshing to see the team step aside and present a kid with a moment he won't forget any time soon.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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