The Saints will get to see defensive end Chase Young on the field Wednesday.
Coach Dennis Allen said Tuesday that Young will participate “in some form of practice” when training camp opens. Young spent the offseason recovering from neck surgery.
Young, 25, signed a one-year, $13 million deal with the Saints on March 18, a day before it was revealed he needed the surgery.
The Saints insist they knew about the surgery before signing Young, and they expect him to be ready for the start of the regular season. But they tied more than half his salary to per-game active roster bonuses.
The Commanders drafted Young in 2020 and traded him to the 49ers last season in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick. He has never had more than 7.5 sacks and has 16.5 in his four-year career.
Young’s only Pro Bowl came during his rookie season when he was defensive rookie of the year.
He had only a lukewarm free agent market this offseason, which seems to have motivated him.
“It’s been very positive,” General Manager Mickey Loomis said, via Luke Johnson of nola.com. “I’ve been impressed with how hard he’s working to get his rehab done, his attitude about being on this team and having a chip on his shoulder. I feel like this is a player that feels like he has something to prove, and oftentimes when you’re that high of a draft pick, that’s hard to recapture.”
The Saints will be deliberate in Young’s return, with Loomis saying the team is “not going to rush” him.
Allen expects defensive end Tanoh Kpassagnon (Achilles), linebacker Nephi Sewell (ACL) and tight end Juwan Johnson (foot), all of whom are on the active/PUP list to participate in the team’s first training camp practice. Receiver Chris Olave (back), whom the team placed on the non-football injury list last week, also will get some work.
