ASHBURN — Charles Leno gave credit to Kayvon Thibodeaux. The Washington Commanders left tackle was badly beaten by the Giants rookie pass-rusher in Sunday’s loss, no more so than when Thibodeaux exploded off the edge to strip sack quarterback Taylor Heinicke near the end zone en route to recovering the fumble for a touchdown.
“I can tell,” Leno said, “Just what he’s got and what he can do, he’s going to be a good player in this league.”
Leno’s words were reminiscent of the kind of awestruck praise Washington’s Chase Young regularly earned as a rookie.
Thibodeaux’s defensive score wasn’t just the turning point in Sunday’s game, it was a painful reminder for Washington that Young — the 2020 defensive rookie of the year who has been out for more than a year and counting with a torn ACL — is still missing from the equation for the Commanders this season.
And Young’s status for Saturday’s upcoming game against the San Francisco 49ers is, as it has been for most of this year, in question.
But coach Ron Rivera admitted this week that, with the team’s playoff prospects narrowing, there is a sense that Washington needs to get the pass-rusher back in the lineup.
During the Commanders’ winning streak, Rivera would often note that Washington could afford to take its time with Young as the defense was playing well and the edge-rusher was still working his way back into form.
Now the Commanders could use all the help they can get. But there’s no guarantee Young will be ready.
“We need all hands on deck,” Rivera said. “This is what you live for, this is the crunch time of it and you gotta wanna be there and gotta wanna be part of it and do whatever you can to get on the field. Hopefully, some of these guys are healthy enough and ready to go because we’re not gonna expose anybody that’s not ready.
“But if a guy can come and make it and, and be out there to help us, we’d sure love to have them on the field.”
Young met with surgeon Dr. James Andrews on Sunday in what was the latest checkup on his surgically repaired right knee. The 23-year-old’s surgery differed from the traditional ACL tear as the operation required Andrews to use a graft from the patellar tendon in his healthy left knee to reconstruct the injured right knee. That process, however, extended Young’s recovery time.
Rivera said Sunday that Andrews’ feedback for Young was “all positive,” adding the pass-rusher is “close” to returning. But so far, the hold up for the Ohio State product appears to be that Washington’s coaching staff has yet to see Young just burst off the edge as was typical prior to the injury. “It’s one of those things where we’re looking for that cut-loose, just ‘go,’” Rivera said last week.
Young’s lengthy recovery — he’s missed all 14 games — prompts the question that even when available, how much will the pass-rusher be able to contribute? Rivera has said Young will be on a strict snap count of 12 to 16 plays initially. And in addition to that, Young is coming off a disappointing season in which he recorded only 1½ sacks in nine games last year. Can he rediscover the form that led to a 7½ sack rookie campaign?
Still, there were moments in Sunday’s loss to the Giants in which Young’s presence could have been a huge benefit. Thibodeaux forced a turnover in part because Washington was backed up deep into its own territory. And in the second quarter, Washington’s defense faced the same situation as New York’s third drive started at the 3-yard line.
Perhaps Young could have disrupted the line of scrimmage and forced a fumble. All it takes is one play for Young to potentially make a difference.
Instead, the Giants’ drive went 97 yards over 18 plays and ended in a touchdown.
