The New Orleans Saints took a big gamble on edge rusher Chase Young in the offseason, but it’s looking promising so far. The team chose to ink Young despite being informed that he would immediately need neck surgery before training camp with the hopes of being ready for the start of the season. New Orleans felt confident enough to lock him down beforehand with the hopes that he could be fully healthy as quickly as possible.
Thankfully, Young’s rehab has gone wonderfully up to this point, so much so that he’s already at training camp and performing beautifully. While in pads at practice, every reporter on the scene noted Young’s performance on the football field. He was listed as sacking Derek Carr on a play-action bootleg and later blowing up an end-around to Chris Olave.
Of course, Young has made significantly more plays at camp already, but those were two of the most recent ones worth mentioning. We are on just the sixth day of training camp, yet he’s already ramping up his workload after getting off-season neck surgery. If other teams knew that he’d be at this point right now, he might have had a ridiculous number of other suitors looking to sign him for 2024. Some believed that, in the best-case scenario, Young wouldn’t be available to play until the preseason began. He’s out there in full pads, ramping up his reps, three weeks earlier than that previously listed date.
Chase Young Is Pivotal For New Orleans
One reporter stated that Young seemed “like he made a play on almost every one” while noting that aforementioned sack and a few other great run stops. There’s no question that Chase Young is recovering ahead of schedule and on track to appear in the regular season opener. The Saints need him out there because he’s quite possibly their most pivotal offseason signing.
If Young can play like the player we saw in his rookie season, then this Saints pass rush would look significantly better. Couple that with an already great secondary and a strong linebacking core and this Saints defense would look like a top-tier one. If Young isn’t able to stay healthy or perform well, then the pass rush will consistently underperform and leave the secondary out to dry. Young needs to not only be healthy but be impactful enough to help their pass rushers get some extra rest (specifically Cam Jordan).
