As we look toward the 2023 regular season, we count down the most important players for the Washington Commanders ahead of training camp. No. 7 was safety Kamren Curl.
We continue our countdown today with No. 6, defensive end Chase Young.
Let’s face it; if this was two years ago, Young would be higher on the list. But the Commanders have become accustomed to playing without Young due to his knee injury. And the defense has remained good.
Washington declined to pick up Young’s fifth-year option for 2024. That means the former NFL defensive rookie of the year is an unrestricted free agent next offseason. That doesn’t mean he’ll leave Washington, but much of that depends on his performance in 2023.
Young has rare talent. His combination of size, power and elite athleticism should make him one of the NFL’s top pass rushers. However, through three seasons, he has just nine career sacks. Sure, he’s missed a total of 23 games, but the nine sacks in 27 games are cause for a bit of concern. Washington thought so, too.
Here’s the deal, if Young plays to his skill level, the Commanders go from having a good defense to an elite unit. The secondary has improved. No team has a better duo of defensive tackles with Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen — we don’t care what anyone says — and fellow DE Montez Sweat is also fantastic.
But if Young turns into the dominant pass rusher many expected him to be, Washington’s defense could be scary. One thing the Commanders lacked on defense was forcing turnovers. With the addition of rookie cornerback Emmanuel Forbes, that’s sure to change. If Young takes his game to the next level, not only will the Commanders defense be better, but the entire team improves as a result.
And there’s also the motivation for Young that he’s playing for a new contract.
