The unofficial start of NFL free agency is just an hour away, and one of the biggest names that is set to hit the market is Chase Young. The former Washington Commanders star was traded to the San Francisco 49ers at the trade deadline last season as the Niners looked to load up for a lengthy playoff run. Young's play in the west coast wasn't as great as it was in Washington, though, as he had just 2.5 sacks in nine games in San Francisco. Despite that, he's still an extremely talented pass rusher that many teams will be interested in.
Young's sack numbers may not have been great in San Francisco, but advanced stats paint his season in a favorable light. He finished 2023 with the 15th-best individual pass rush win rate among edge rushers according to ESPN's trench win rate metrics. Young is in the company of a ton of heavyweights at that position in that metric, and while the former second-overall pick has not lived up to that lofty draft capital, he could still help any team who signs him. So with that in mind, let's look at a pair of potential landing spots for him in free agency.
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos have had plenty of star pass rushers come through their franchise. Recently, the pairing of Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware helped them win Super Bowl 50 back in 2015, and since then, players like Bradley Chubb have come through and made a big impact.
But last year's Broncos squad did not have that type of impact pass rusher. Denver ranked 30th in the league in pass rush win rate in 2023, finishing ahead of only the New Orleans Saints (31st) and Atlanta Falcons (32nd). Despite that, Denver was tied for tenth in the league in sacks last season, with Jonathon Cooper and Nik Bonitto leading the way.
With the Broncos eating $85 million in dead cap money as a result of their release of Russell Wilson, they may not be able to spend as much money as other teams in free agency. They will still have some money to spend, though, and given their need for pass-rushing help, maybe they could lock in on Chase Young as one of their top targets this offseason.
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots have made it a priority of theirs to find second-draft players on the free agent market. What that means is that they try to find value in former high draft picks who could not stick with the team that drafted them for whatever reason, and it's safe to say that Chase Young would fit that bill to a tee.
The Patriots aren't in dire straits at edge rusher, but they could certainly use one. They finished 27th in the league in pass rush win rate a year ago, and ended up in the same spot in the sacks category after dropping the opposing quarterback 36 times. It is worth noting they were without their best pass rusher in Matthew Judon for all but four games last season, but still, the point stands.
The bigger problem with these pass rush numbers is that they generally didn't get much production from their edge rushers. Their sack leader in 2023 was Christian Barmore, as he managed to rack up 8.5 sacks despite being a defensive tackle. Judon is one of the better pass rushers in the NFL, but he's going to be coming back from a serious shoulder injury that ended his season very early.
The Patriots have a lot of money to find a pass rusher, and they will surely be active once free agency opens up. While they have bigger needs to fill this offseason, it wouldn't hurt to find another pass rusher to help take the burden off of Judon once he returns, which could make Chase Young a sneaky good signing for them.
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