Chase Young has missed the first three weeks of 2025 due to a calf injury. Young is of vital importance to the New Orleans Saints defense. They’ve had issues, especially during week three, at generating pressure. Kellen Moore has to manage a tricky injury, while getting Young on the field as quickly as possible. He could be the difference between a win and a narrow loss.
Calf injuries, or any soft tissue one, are challenging to manage. Young’s injury was initially thought to be minor, but has evolved into a bigger issue. What’s important is that the Saints manage it correctly. It’s a balancing act between getting him on the field as quickly as possible and making sure he’s healthy for the long run. Kellen Moore had similar thoughts in a recent press conference.
“Sometimes those are tricky injuries, when you’re dealing with a calf. Sometimes you got to see how this thing progresses,” Moore said, “You got to understand the medical aspect of this is real, and you got to do what is right for him. Not just this week but from a season long perspective.”
Losing Chase Young severely hurts the pass rush
Not having Young hinders the Saints pass rush. It was fine in the first two weeks, but fell apart against the Seattle Seahawks. They totalled just seven pressures with no sacks. Carl Granderson and Cameron Jordan both had no pressures off the edge. This type of production can’t continue for the Saints to start winning. Getting Young back from injury will immediately improve this.
Young ranked 16th in the NFL for total pressures each of the past two seasons. He racked up 66 in 2024 and 74 in 2023. Even if his sack numbers weren’t staggering, he was applying consistent pressure upon the quarterback. This is exactly what the Saints need. Sam Darnold had plenty of time to sit in the pocket and dissect a weak secondary, this can’t happen in the future.
There is no projected date for Young to be back on the field. The injury reports this week will tell a lot about his future participation. He didn’t practice last week, it will be telling to see if he does ahead of week four.
The Saints need Chase Young back on defense. They aren’t able to consistently pressure the quarterback without him. Kellen Moore has to walk a tightrope between getting him out on the field and preventing a future injury by rushing him.