Chase Young's status for Sunday's game vs Falcons: When will the Commanders DE return from injury?

Washington Commanders defensive end Chase Young tore his ACL in Week 10 of the 2021 NFL season. In a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Young suffered a serious knee injury that required his ACL to be completely reconstructed. Before the injury, he had 21 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles on the season.

After surgery, he spent the offseason rehabilitating his knee. But during training camp, the Commanders placed him on the Physically Unable to Perform or PUP list. At the beginning of November, the Commanders removed the defensive end from the injured reserve list, meaning that he would return soon. He has yet to take the field.

The Commanders are currently 6-5 and in fourth place in the NFC East division, three games behind the division-leading Philadelphia Eagles. But their hopes at a playoff run aren't over just yet. The Commanders are the first team in the playoff bubble, but alas they will be without Chase Young in Week 12.

Unfortunately, Young has an illness and has thus been downgraded for the matchup against the Atlanta Falcons.

Chase Young returned to training but will not feature in Week 12 vs. Falcons

When the Washington Commanders removed Chase Young from the injured reserve list, the team had three weeks to place him on the active roster. Otherwise, he would not be eligible to play this season.

On Monday, the Commanders placed him on the active roster and he returned to full practice. This week's practice has been a good indicator for the Commanders and their defensive end.

On Friday morning, NFL insider Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Commanders had listed Young as questionable, which was a good sign. The designation of 'questionable' typically gives a player a 50/50 chance. In Young's case, along with consecutive days of practice, the Q indicated that there was a high chance he would play against the Falcons.

Alas, due to an illness, his return has been postponed a week. Although this is a disappointment, Young will soon feature for the Commanders, who have been improved of late.

The Commanders will face the Atlanta Falcons this week, another team that are currently on the NFL playoff bubble. The Falcons will be without a few key players on offense, including second-year tight end Kyle Pitts, who is on injured reserve.

Washington will have to get the win without Chase Young this week, in a matchup that could go either way. Commanders fans will have to wait until next week before hopefully seeing their defensive star make his 2022 season debut.