Bye Chase
The Washington Commanders have traded DE Chase Young to the . Today was the NFL’s trade deadline, and rumors have been swirling for weeks about several of Washington’s players being available for trade. They reportedly wanted a 2nd round pick, or more, for Young or Montez Sweat, and they got that from the Bears today for the latter. Now they’ve traded Young to the San Francisco 49ers for a 3rd-round pick.
The 49ers are sending the Commanders the compensatory third-round pick that they received for losing Ran Carthon to Tennessee and DeMeco Ryans to Houston. https://t.co/8Pq4wh5rsF
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2023
Chase Young was the 2nd overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft out of Ohio State. He was the consensus top defensive player in that year’s draft, and he was Ron Rivera’s first pick as head coach of the Washington Redskins. Young went on to win NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and it looked like he was going to lead Washington’s defense for a long time.
His second season started much quieter than most people expected, and it ended when he tore his ACL and suffered a ruptured patella, that required multiple surgeries to reconstruct his knee. Young missed the rest of his second season, and all but the final three games last season.
He returned to the Commanders this offseason, and coaches praised his mentality and his physical condition. Young missed the season opener after suffering a neck injury during the preseason. He has 5 sacks for this season, and will now continue this season, and his NFL career with a new team.
Young’s 5th-year option was declined by the Washington Commanders earlier this year, and he would have entered free agency next March if he wasn’t traded, franchise tagged, or extended by Washington. He started 35 games for the Commanders, including a playoff loss to the Buccaneers. Sweat had 14 sacks, 26 QB hits, 90 tackles, 6 forced fumbles, and 8 passes defended during his 3 1⁄2 seasons with Washington.
Montez Sweat and Chase Young both getting traded, means the Commanders will have at least two new starting defensive ends for the remainder of the season. James Smith-Williams and Casey Toohill would likely be the first up in the lineup. Veteran Efe Obada will move up the depth chart, and rookies KJ Henry and Andre Jones will also get more looks as backups.