Commanders Expect DE Chase Young & RB Brian Robinson Back In October

According to Adam Schefter, the Washington Commanders have a lot of optimism that DE Chase Young and third-round RB Brian Robinson will be ready to contribute before the midway point of the season. 

Both players are on injury lists right now, meaning they can’t play the first four games but are eligible to return starting in Week 5.

Robinson is expected back earlier from the non-football injury list, per Schefter, after being shot twice in the leg in an attempted robbery. Robinson luckily suffered no structural damage in the shooting. 

He’s already off crutches and is expected to begin conditioning this week and Schefter says the team believes a Week 5 return is realistic. 

As for Young, Schefter writes he’s on a similar but slower timeline than Robinson as he continues to recover from a torn ACL last November. Still, a source told Schefter they expect Young back before the season’s midway mark in Week 8, October 30, and the former No. 2 overall pick has been back to defensive line drills recently. 

Young, 23, was a two-year starter at Ohio State and was a first-team All-American when Washington used the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft on him. He was later named the NFL’s Defensive Rookie of the Year for the 2020 season.

Young signed a four-year, $34,563,594 rookie contract that included a $22,697,160 signing bonus. The contract includes a fifth year for Washington to pick up for the 2024 season.

In 2021, Young appeared in 10 games for Washington, recording 25 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Robinson, 23, earned first-team All-SEC honors in 2021 and was the Cotton Bowl Classic MVP last season. He was selected by the Commanders with the No. 98 overall pick in the third round. 

During his college career, Robinson appeared in 55 games and recorded 545 rushing attempts for 2,704 yards (5.0 YPC) and 29 touchdowns, to go along with 52 receptions for 446 yards (8.6 YPC) and two touchdowns.