Chase Young in midseason form with sack of Cam Newton

On the Touchdown Wire Podcast this week, Doug Farrar and I talked about how Washington Football Team pass rusher Chase Young might be even better than he was in 2020, his rookie season. Sure, Young notched 7.5 sacks for Washington en route to securing NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but with the defense that Ron Rivera is returning to the nation’s capital, and Young now entering just his second season, there is reason to believe he might indeed be better a second time around.

It did not take long for Young to hold up his end of the bargain.

Early in Washington’s first preseason game — as in, on Washington’s first defensive possession — Young made his presence felt with this strip sack of Cam Newton:

Two things to note about this play. First, Young is working against Isaiah Wynn, a solid left tackle and part of New England’s impressive offensive line. Second, pay attention to the hand usage. Young is so quick with his dip-and-rip move here, first getting his left hand into Wynn’s inside shoulder, and then dipping just under Wynn’s outside shoulder before ripping into the left tackle’s armpit with that same left hand. The hand speed here is, for lack of a better phrase, insane.

Offensive line guru Duke Manyweather, who knows a thing or two about how to use your hands in the trenches, noted the same about Young’s hands:

Sure, it is early, but after just one possession, Young looks like he is already in midseason form. And, ready to live up to some of the hype as he enters year two.