Chase Young, stats-wise, has performed well as a rookie, but not necessarily exceedingly well. Again, that's going by the stats.
Jack Del Rio, though, isn't going strictly by the stats. On Monday, the defensive coordinator spoke to what Young's done in his first stretch of pro football, and in doing so, he sounded more than pleased with Young's contributions.
"He's not getting the numbers right now that reflect the impact he's having on the game," Del Rio told reporters.
A box score-only evaluation of Young's performance will tell you he's registered 2.5 sacks along with a few more tackles for loss and one forced fumble. He departed early on in the Week 3 Cleveland matchup and missed Week 4's meeting with Baltimore, so he's compiled those totals in roughly five appearances plus a few snaps to begin a sixth.
That sort of evaluation, however, doesn't fully highlight all that he's offered.
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There are other moments, such as the pressure Young created in New York that led to a Daniel Jones red zone interception, that — and yes, the following phrase is a very annoying one, but sometimes, it's necessary — don't show up in the box score.
Neither does all the attention Young attracts, whether that be the double teams that are sent his way or the running back who's asked to chip him in order to limit his penetration. Because of Young, other guys up front, as well as in the defense's second and third levels, benefit.
That's the point that Del Rio was getting at on Monday when he described Young as a "forceful" piece of his group.
"I think he's a really good football player," Del Rio said.
Last week, Young admitted that he wants more sacks, because he knows that's what he's primarily judged on and they'll be how he'll "make money" in the NFL. Thanks to his supreme physical gifts and already very mature approach, they'll likely come soon, too.
But Del Rio, at least, isn't currently pressed for them. To him, Young has been doing precisely what he needs to do, and Del Rio doesn't need a few columns on a stat sheet to affirm that.