Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young will miss the season opener after he was downgraded from questionable to out on Saturday because of a neck stinger.
The Commanders host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
Young injured his neck in the team’s preseason opener Aug. 11 at the Cleveland Browns. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Young has been practicing without pads but has not participated in any full-contact activities.
He was cleared Saturday for contact in practice but not for games, according to multiple media reports.
Young, 24, tore his right ACL in November 2021. He missed the final eight games that season and sat out the first 14 games in 2022 while recovering from the injury.
The 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and Pro Bowl selection has posted 75 tackles, 17 quarterback hits, nine sacks and three fumble recoveries in 27 career games (26 starts).
Washington declined Young’s fifth-year option during the offseason, making the 2023 season crucial to his future with the team.
The Commanders also could be without defensive end James Smith-Williams, listed as questionable for Sunday’s game. On Friday, the team added defensive end William Bradley-King to the 53-man roster.
Bradley-King, 25, was released by Washington on Aug. 29 and signed to the practice squad the next day. He has totaled seven tackles and a half-sack in four games since being selected by the Commanders in the seventh round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
–Field Level Media
