Commanders Rumors: Chase Young Got 'Very Positive Feedback' in Knee Injury Recovery

Chase Young's knee cost him 22 straight games between the second half of the 2021 season and Week 15 of the 2022 campaign, as he recovered from surgery to repair a torn ACL in the interim.

But Young "got very positive feedback about his recovery from knee surgery" after a visit with Dr. James Andrews in recent weeks, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, a good sign that he should be healthy heading into the 2023 campaign.

The Commanders have until May 1 to decide whether to pick up Young's fifth-year contract option for the 2024 season or decline it. More than likely they'll exercise it, especially if Young has a completely clean bill of health on his knee.

Washington may face a tough lesson on not locking up young players to long-term contracts after not agreeing on an extension with Daron Payne ahead of the 2022 campaign.

Payne, 25, responded by having a career year, posting 11.5 sacks while earning a Pro Bowl bid. Now, he'll either become an unrestricted free agent this offseason or force the Commanders to use the franchise tag on him while they negotiate a new deal.

"It cost us," head coach Ron Rivera told reporters earlier in February. "But it cost us in a good way, because the young man played, he did things the right way. He didn't sit out, he didn't withhold, he could have done that sit-in during training camp, but he didn't. And because he didn't, now we're in that position where we have to find a way to say, 'Thank you, OK, you've earned it.'"

Such a scenario could also motivate Young in the future, though it's obviously a risky path to take.

"Most certainly," Rivera told reporters. "If you look at what Daron did, why wouldn't you think of it that way? Believe me, that would be my approach, especially looking at what Daron did and the situation he put himself in."

Young, 23, had an excellent rookie season in 2020, posting 7.5 sacks, 10 tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits before his knee injury cut his 2021 season short and limited him to only three games in 2022.

It's hard to imagine the Commanders wanting to lose the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft after just four seasons, especially given the potential he's flashed when healthy. But Washington likely will want any and all assurances that the long-term health of his knee won't be a major concern before committing long-term money to him.