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Washington Commanders star edge rusher Chase Young suffered a brutal injury last season in a November game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The former Ohio State University star had his season ended by an ACL tear.
During the team's pre-draft news conference, Commander's head coach Ron Rivera delivered this update on Young's recovery via team transcript:
"He has been doing well. He is here again today and it's a great sight to see. Got an opportunity to spend a little time with him and he's fired up. He's really focused and he's attacking his rehab."
A healthy Chase Young is necessary for the Commanders to make noise in a division that is sometimes cruelly referred to as the "NFC Least."
Can the Washington Commanders win the NFC East?
The outlook for the 2022 Washington Commanders looks better than their forecast a year ago.
Going into the previous season, the team had journeyman Ryan Fitzpatrick open the season. After an injury in Week One, quarterback Tyler Heinicke took the reins for the remainder of the season. Heinicke showed courage and passion on every down, endearing him to the hearts of many NFL fans. He finished the season with 3419 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. These stats don't fairly reflect the grit and guts he displayed in every game. Washington finished the season 7-10.
This year, the team goes into the season with former Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Carson Wentz as their signal caller.
As the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Commanders franchise hopes Wentz will be the starter for years to come. They will need Wentz to be in his best form if they are to overtake the Dallas Cowboys as division champions.
Washington will also be relying on running back Antonio Gibson. Though he struggled bravely with some very unpleasant injuries last season, Gibson has been a revelation since being drafted out of Memphis in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Perhaps the star of the offense is wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who has amassed 3,090 receiving yards since being drafted out of Ohio State University in 2019.
Last season, McLaurin had 1,053 receiving yards and five touchdowns for a franchise that fought right until the very end. Washington had an outside chance at the playoffs in the second half of the season but their hopes fizzled out as the season neared its conclusion.
The loss of defensive stars Chase Young and Montez Sweat was heavily felt by Washington. Sweat painfully suffered a jaw fracture in early November.
The return of Young and Sweat and the arrival of Wentz has Commanders fans feeling optimistic. The franchise is hopeful that this year they can finally overtake the Dallas Cowboys and win the NFC East.
