Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young is expected to practice Wednesday for the first time since tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last fall, coach Ron Rivera said Monday.
Once Washington starts Young’s “clock,” the Commanders will have 21 days to activate the pass-rusher from the Physically Unable to Perform list or place him on the season-ending injured reserve list. The Commanders, winners of three straight, will face the 6-1 Minnesota Vikings next weekend, though Rivera did not indicate whether Young will make his season debut.
Young is coming off a serious knee injury in which doctors had to reconstruct his ACL — a procedure that differs from the traditional ACL tear. The 23-year-old got hurt last November in a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
But Rivera said Young recently had a good visit with his doctor, paving the way for the former Defensive Rookie of the Year to practice. Though Young will return to practice, he’ll still be limited beginning each session.
“Chase has been working out with the strength and conditioning group the last few days and he’ll continue right into Wednesday, where he’ll start with positional drills, and by doing so he’ll get an opportunity to be involved in all the walkthroughs and installation periods that we have,” Rivera said. “And then we’ll move him to the side (field) once we get through the positional drills.
“He’ll work on the side, and then we’ll see how he is after the day and then going into the next day, and that’ll dictate what our next step is in terms of where he goes from there.”
Rivera said Young was “fired up” to learn the news. The coach added the team will have to “temper” expectations for Young as he’ll need time to work his way back into football shape.
“He’s going to have to get back into condition,” Rivera said. “Believe me, playing football is completely different from rehabbing, obviously, and the more reps he can get on the practice field prior to stepping onto the game field would be very beneficial to him.”
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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