ASHBURN, VA (WTKR)- Chase Young hasn't played in a football game in 13 months. Saturday will see him get the chance to take the field once again.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera announced on Thursday that Young will make his season debut when Washington visits the 49ers on Saturday. It will mark his first game action since November 14, 2021.
"It's now," Rivera said during his media availability. "He practiced with confidence. He showed us he was willingness to stick that leg in the ground and roll off of it, plant it and cut off of it. So, he had a good week, so we're pretty excited about that.”
Rivera added that seeing Dr. James Andrews for a final check-up, who performed the surgery on Young's injured knee, got the star defensive end over the hump and back into a playing mindset.
Young tore his ACL and ruptured a patellar tendon during Washington's game against Tampa Bay last November. He returned to practice on November 2 and was added to the active roster on November 21. Since then, the Commanders and Young have both been cautious with his pacing and his workload.
The second overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Young will play between 12 and 16 snaps during Saturday's game.
"We're gonna have him on a pitch count initially," Rivera said. "It's gonna be a few here, a few here, a few here and just kind of take him through the actions and see how he handles it. We're going out there with an initial pitch count.”
2020 saw Young honored as the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year. He put together a campaign that included 7.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles and 3 fumble recoveries.
The defensive end returns at a crucial time for the Commanders. Washington currently occupies the seventh and final playoff spot in the NFC, with Seattle and Detroit nipping at its heels. At 7-6-1, the burgundy and gold are a half-game up on the Seahawks and Lions for postseason position.
The Commanders last made the playoffs during Young's rookie season when they won the NFC East with a 7-9 record.
Washington and San Francisco kickoff at 4:05 PM on Saturday. Fans in Hampton Roads can watch the game on WTKR.
