Commanders Rumors: Chase Young Out vs. Cardinals With Neck Injury; May Miss 2+ Games

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young is reportedly not expected to play Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals due to a neck injury.

According to Ben Standig of The Athletic, Young is not expected to play until Week 3 at the earliest, meaning he is likely to miss Washington's Week 2 game against the Denver Broncos as well.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport added that while Young made a "positive step" this week by getting cleared for contact in practice, he is "not quite ready yet."

Per Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post, Young suffered a stinger during the Commanders' preseason opener against the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 11, which resulted in him missing the remainder of the preseason.

While Young has flashed elite potential at times during his young NFL career, he has often been held back by injuries.

Washington made Young the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Ohio State, and he impressed out of the gates, registering 44 tackles, 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles in 15 games en route to being named a Pro Bowler and NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

The 24-year-old has been unable to build upon that production, though, as a torn ACL limited him to nine games in 2021 and three games last season.

Young has played in a total of just 12 games over the past two seasons combined, and he recorded only 31 tackles and 1.5 sacks over that time.

In April, the Commanders declined the $17.45 million fifth-year option in Young's rookie contract, meaning he is set to enter a contract year in 2023 and can become a free agent next offseason.

When everyone is healthy, the Commanders have a starting defensively line made up entirely of first-round draft picks in Young, Montez Sweat, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.

The main issue is that there isn't much depth behind them, meaning Washington will have to lean on the likes of Casey Toohill, 2020 seventh-round pick James Smith-Williams, rookie fifth-round pick KJ Henry, rookie seventh-round pick Andre Jones Jr. and 2021 seventh-round pick Will Bradley-King to fill in while Young is out.

If Young is indeed forced to miss at least the first two games of the season, the earliest he may return is Week 3 when the Commanders host the three-time defending AFC East champion Buffalo Bills.