Kellen Moore reveals purpose behind early ruling on Chase Young’s Week 5 availability

By Ross Jackson

METAIRIE, La. –  Last week, New Orleans Saints head coach Kellen Moore broke from his usual routine at Wednesday’s press conference, immediately ruling out two players during injury updates.

Offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz had suffered an ankle injury the weekend prior and was predictably ruled out after being carted off the field against the Buffalo Bills at halftime. But then, Moore ruled out defensive end Chase Young. 

The announcement took many by surprise as through the four previous weeks, Young had not been ruled out until after each Friday practice. Naturally, the immediate assumption was that a setback or new concern had surfaced, a reasonable conclusion given the sudden change in Moore’s usual approach.

However, during his day-after press conference following the team’s Week 6 win, Moore shared the real reason behind the decision to rule Young out earlier than usual.

“To be honest, it was just me,” he said. “When you go through injuries in this league, you lose the fact of the personal side of it and you have to deal with a lot of questions, a lot of negotiations, a lot of people coming at you, ‘Are you playing?’, ‘Are you not playing?’ I just wanted to simplify it for him. Let him focus on the recovery process. It had nothing to do with a fallback or an issue in his recovery process.”

Moore effectively did something out of the ordinary with the expressed intent of trying to make things easier on a player recovering from injury. It’s surely a move that Young will appreciate.

When it comes to concerns that Young isn’t progressing or suggestions that he might not be putting the work in, Moore balked at the concept.

“[The] people who matter aren’t going to question him one bit,” Moore said. “He’s been awesome through this whole process. When he’s ready, he’ll be ready to rock and roll.”

Young should have a big impact on the Saints’ pass rushers, which left Sunday’s win against the New York Giants without a sack, though they should have gotten one. New Orleans is also currently ranked No. 30 in defensive pressure percentage with 28%.The sooner Young gets back on the field, the better. But it’s clear that the Saints are focused on the longevity of his return rather than the timeline.