WFT loses Young for rest of season
WASHINGTON — In a significant blow for one of the Washington Football Team’s most important young players, defensive end Chase Young will miss the rest of the season after suffering a knee injury during Sunday’s victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coach Ron Rivera said Monday.
Young tore the ACL in his right knee, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Rivera would only describe Young’s condition as a “leg injury.”
The loss of the 22-year-old star, a team captain who leads the players’ pregame huddle every week, is a major loss for a squad that scored a signature win Sunday and, at 3-6, re-sparked hopes of sneaking into the postseason. Injuries decimated Washington’s offense in the first half of the season and have now come for the defense, which appeared to be regaining its footing after a poor start.
The second half was going to be particularly important for Young, the reigning defensive rookie of the year and the second pick of the 2020 draft. He had struggled to follow up on his impressive debut season, particularly in rushing the passer — his 20 quarterback pressures in the eight games that preceded his injury tied for 67th in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus — and he had a chance to reestablish himself as a disruptive force given the absence of fellow defensive end Montez Sweat, who is sidelined for several weeks with a fractured jaw.
Rivera said he was “disappointed” to lose Young and that edge rushers with Young’s size and athleticism are “hard to find.”
“You do lose the threat of that type of player coming off the edge,” Rivera said. “You have to rally the troops, basically. That’s just the way it is.”
JETS: Robert Saleh is hearing plenty of criticism these days — from the fans, media and now, the always boisterous Rex Ryan.
The current Jets coach was ripped Monday morning on ESPN Radio by Ryan, who led the team from 200914, for New York’s 2-7 start punctuated by embarrassing showings on defense. Ryan, now an analyst for ESPN, said he also takes it personally that some have likened the energetic Saleh to him “but without the bad part.”
When asked about Ryan’s comments a few hours later during his weekly appearance on ESPN Radio, Saleh didn’t back down.
“I’ve never met Rex,” Saleh said on “The Michael Kay Show.” “I’ve never had a conversation with Rex. I don’t even know him, except for people who know him throughout the league. Obviously, if it’s that personal for him, he knows where to find me.” Ding! Ding! It all started when Ryan went on a rant during the “DiPietro & Rothenberg Show” while talking about the Jets’ start — and how Saleh’s defense has been dreadful.
The Jets have allowed 175 points in their past four games, and are the first NFL team to give up at least 45 points three times in a four-game span since the Giants in 1966, according to ESPN Stats & Info.
PACKERS: Any Green Bay fans wanting to invest a personal stake in their favorite team has a chance to do so this week.
The NFL’s only community-owned team is opening the sixth stock offering in franchise history Tuesday morning. The price per share is $300 and is limited to people in the United States as well as Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
STEELERS: The team on Monday placed safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list, where he joins quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Teams are not required to release information whether players are vaccinated. If Fitzpatrick is, he would be required to be free of symptoms and have two negative tests 24 hours apart. If he is not vaccinated, the playmaking defensive back could be sidelined for at least 10 days.
Roethlisberger sat out Sunday’s 16-16 tie with winless Detroit. His return for Sunday night’s game at the Chargers is uncertain.